A comprehensive third-party review to identify improvements to long-term care homes and personal care homes in Newfoundland and Labrador has been awarded, and is now underway. The review will include analysis of leading and best practices that support resident-centered care.

The Provincial Government has awarded the contract valued at $397,500 to MNP to complete a comprehensive review of the services in Newfoundland and Labrador. This review adds to the work already underway by an expert panel that was launched in February 2023 to improve the quality and availability of long-term care.

The review will identify opportunities and recommendations to improve the quality of care and quality of life of residents, as well as enhancing staff engagement and improving working conditions for staff.

This contract aligns with recommendations from Health Accord NL to help re-imagine health care in Newfoundland and Labrador. Our government remains focused on providing the best health care delivery to address the needs in towns and communities throughout the province.

The review will assess and evaluate four key areas in the long-term care and personal care home programs to identify opportunities for improvement. They include:

• Quality of life: such as improvements to living arrangements and access to recreational activities;
• Quality of care: such as evaluating the existing model, reviewing staff ratios and the delivery model of primary care to identity opportunities for improvements;
• Workforce: such as improving staff engagement and work-life balance and identifying opportunities to improve recruitment and retention practices based on leading evidence and informed by relevant stakeholders; and
• Governance: such as improvements to compliance monitoring and increasing accountability and trust in the quality of care by assessing existing procedures.

MNP is working closely with the expert advisory panel, which is leading the review and consists of members who have expertise in older adult care and a member with lived experience. This panel will engage a community stakeholder committee comprised of community advocacy groups to provide an opportunity to share their perspectives on issues related to long term care and personal care home programming and services. In collaboration with the expert advisory panel, MNP is currently developing a comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan that will include site visits to a number of homes across the province and other opportunities to hear from residents, families, staff, as well as the public.

Recruitment and retention incentives were announced in spring 2023 to stabilize the long-term care workforce, including a recruitment and retention bonus for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and personal care attendants working in long term care throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

The final report and recommendations are anticipated spring 2024.

Quotes
“This review will help our government make necessary enhancements to the quality of services we provide in our long-term care and personal care homes. This report will be a compass for transformation, highlighting our achievements and providing us with opportunities and recommendations for improvements for residents and staff. We look forward to the valuable insight of the review.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Health and Community Services

“I am very pleased to be working with MNP and others on the Expert Advisory Panel. Together, we will identify opportunities to improve resident care in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Dr. Janice Keefe
Chair Expert Advisory Panel

-30-

Learn more
Review of Long-Term Care and Personal Care Home Programs in the Province Underway

Recruitment and Retention Incentives Announced for Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Personal Care Attendants in Long-Term Care

Follow us on X @GovNL and @HCS_GovNL

Like us on Facebook