This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
Vancouver (15 April 2016) — The Seniors Advocate in British Columbia, Isobel Mackenzie, released the Residential Care Facilities Quick Facts Directory on March 18, and a recent analysis of the 292 government-funded facilities shows that only 50 are meeting or exceeding the guideline of 3.36 hours per day of care. Given that 10 facilities have no data, that still leaves a whopping 80 per cent of facilities where seniors are not getting the minimum hours of care.
Residents in long-term care homes in B.C. not getting the support they need
The analysis done by Kim Pemberton in the Vancouver Sun on April 6 puts numbers behind what members of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) in Health Services have been telling us for some time: staffing levels are too low in long-term care homes.
"These numbers are absolutely unacceptable," says Sherry Ogasawara, Vice-President of Health Services for the BCGEU. "We need more funding from the provincial government to these facilities to increase their staffing levels, and we need more monitoring in place to ensure that employers are maintaining the minimum staffing set out in the guidelines."
The BCGEU/NUPGE represents several thousand care aides across the province.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE