Proposed long-term care bill raises concerns locally

BY JASON THOMPSON

City council has thrown its support behind a movement to ask for amendments to Bill 140, legislation designed to change long-term care in Ontario.

Changes to Bill 140 would require a registered nurse to be onsite at a nursing home 24-hours a day, offer whistle-blowing protection for staff, residents and volunteers, help redefine licensing terms and mandate unannounced annual inspections and restricting, to name a few.

Claire McChesney, the administrator at Finlandia Nursing Home, said the bill offers a lot of improvements over current legislation but it still needs some work before it becomes law.

McChesney delivered a presentation to city council Wednesday night outlining some of the concerns raised by the bill as drafted.

She says increased amounts of paperwork to keep up with new regulations could take staff and resources away from resident care and that there’s insufficient funding to meet the required standards.

“The more regulation that we have, the more we institutionalize our homes,” McChesney said, adding there’s about 95 proposed amendments to Bill 140 for the ministry to consider.

McChesney also raised issue with licensing, which is currently renewed annually on the basis of a home’s ability to meet regulations.

The way the licensing would be handled under Bill 140, McChesney said Finlandia would get a licence for 25-years, retroactive to 2000 when the home opened.

When it comes time to renew, in 2025, Finlandia would have to make whatever physical upgrades the province deems necessary for resident care before renewing a licence.

McChesney’s concerned that when it comes time to upgrade Finlandia, the money may not be available although she said she’s been told by the ministry not to worry about funding building improvements.

“That’s not the way you introduce legislation, you make it right before it gets enshrined in law,” McChesney said.

“We felt it was important for our municipal government to understand exactly what the shortcomings are in Bill 140 and that we felt their support would enhance our ability to pursue those amendments with the ministry.”

A standing committee on Bill 140 will be in Greater Sudbury Jan. 23 to listen to concerns and take them back to the ministry. The hearing is at the Howard Johnson and starts at 9 am.

City council has agreed to support the push for amendments to Bill 140 and will send one of its members to the hearing to speak before the standing committee.