Alberta Auditor General Doug Wylie speaks at a press conference as Ethics Commissioner Marguerite Trussler, left, and Alberta Public Interest Commissioner Marianne Ryan look on, in Edmonton on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019. (Photo: Canadian Press)

By The Canadian Press

Provincial Politics

Alberta auditor says staff shortages led to major care home problems during pandemic

Feb 23, 2023 | 4:06 PM

EDMONTON, AB – Alberta’s auditor general says the province’s continuing-care system struggled desperately to cope in the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic mainly due to crippling staff shortages.

Doug Wylie says the problem worsened considerably when the province mandated workers could not staff multiple sites but that the directive was effective in reducing spread of the virus.

Wylie says planning for such a massive outbreak was hampered by poor communication between agencies and inadequate infrastructure and lagging test results compounded the crisis.

Wylie made the findings in a report examining how health officials and those in Alberta’s 355 continuing care centres coped over eight months in 2020.

He says despite initial problems, staff worked diligently to find temporary solutions to battle the virus that ultimately led to more than 1,000 deaths in the facilities.

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He has made eight recommendations to improve the system, including formalizing a centre of expertise to address future outbreaks.

“I want to thank the auditor general for his recommendations on how we can strengthen the continuing care system and improve providing care to seniors,” said Jason Copping, Minister of Health, on Thursday.

“The Seniors Care in Long-term Care report examines the progress made by Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services on previous auditor general recommendations to improve the care that residents receive in long-term care, and it identifies new recommendations for action such as public reporting on performance measures and outcomes of the long-term care system.

“As outlined in my mandate letter from the Premier, improving care for seniors is a top priority and we will continue our efforts to make improvements in this area.

“The COVID-19 in Continuing Care Facilities report is a retrospective audit of the actions taken by the health system during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic from March to December 2020 and identifies recommended actions to strengthen pandemic and outbreak protocols in publicly funded continuing care homes.

“The report highlights the adaptability and resiliency of individuals and groups at all levels of the continuing care system to respond to changing circumstances through the pandemic. I want to thank everyone for their dedication and their incredible efforts during this unprecedented time.

“These improvements have relevance and provide benefits far beyond the COVID-19 response, including helping the continuing care system to be better prepared for future pandemics and other smaller communicable disease outbreaks such as seasonal influenza.

“Alberta’s government is already working to address the concerns listed in the report, like enhancing infection control measures. Budget 2023, if passed, would also provide for additional action on the recommendations from the auditor general’s report.

“The government has accepted all of the auditor general’s recommendations identified in both reports, and we are committed to undertaking this important work for the benefit of all Albertans.”

David Shepherd, Alberta NDP Critic for Health, made the following statement in response:

“The Auditor General’s reports drive home just how incredibly tragic the impact of COVID-19 pandemic is; a pandemic that has killed more than 5,500 Albertans, the majority of whom are seniors.

“Under Jason Kenney, we had one of the worst COVID-19 responses in the country. Now, we have a premier who spent much of the past few years, in the midst of this pandemic, downplaying the gravity of the situation. Danielle Smith is still trying to claim it was all some kind of hoax.

“Many of the Auditor General’s recommendations are ones that were put forward in 2021 from the government’s own committee that looked into long-term care.

“It is cynical of the government to say they will accept the recommendation for paid sick leave now that the height of the crisis is over. Paid sick leave was something we began advocating for in 2020 and they rejected it when it was most needed.”

“These reports clearly lay out how we’ve failed seniors in long term care, especially during the early days of the pandemic. But they also highlight the systemic issues we’ve been raising in seniors care in Alberta for many years,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “The infrastructure challenges, the chronic understaffing, reliance on a precarious workforce without job security, or benefits or paid sick days. Ultimately, it all comes back to Alberta’s approach to long term care which treats seniors as commodities, prioritizing profits over providing quality care.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2023.

(With files from rdnewsNOW)