June 17, 2008

Ontario is introducing a new level of transparency and accountability – as recommended in Shirlee Sharkey’s report on staffing and care standards for long-term care homes – by publicly reporting and measuring health outcomes and resident satisfaction in long-term care.

The government will task the Ontario Health Quality Council (OHQC) to measure and publicly report quality of care and resident satisfaction in long-term care homes. Residents and their families will now be able to learn how their health care dollars are being used to improve their health and satisfaction in long-term care homes.

In principle, the government accepts the recommendations contained in Sharkey’s report, titled People Caring for People: Impacting the Quality of Life and Care of Residents of Long-Term Care Homes.

To implement key recommendations of Sharkey’s report, the government – for the first time in Ontario history – is proposing to bring Resident Councils and Family Councils, staff, home operators, experts, Local Health Integration Networks and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care together to develop local staffing plan templates, provide feedback to the OHQC and advise on key resident care areas which require regulations under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007. This work will improve the calibre of care provided to residents. 

“We are committed to putting patients first and are continuing to invest and deliver more quality bedside care to Ontarians,” said George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. “We will build on the progress that has been made by adding more staff to our long-term care homes. And by improving funding accountability, we will know every dollar will go to improving the quality of life and satisfaction for thousands of Ontarians.”

“This has been a rewarding experience,” Shirlee Sharkey, President and CEO of Saint Elizabeth Health Care, said of her review. “I saw first hand the high level of commitment of staff, long-term care home operators, residents and families to create a better experience for all residents.  My review has been about improving the care of residents of long-term care homes. In conducting it, I learned there is unique opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives and over the next few months I look forward to working collaboratively with the sector to do just that.”

• Since 2004, the government has introduced funding for at least 6,100 new front-line staff in long term care homes, including 2,300 nurses.
• There are more than 600 long-term care homes and 75,000 long-term care residents across Ontario.
• 2008 Ontario Budget invests in 2,000 more nurses and 2,500 more personal support workers in long-term care homes over the next four years
• Shirlee Sharkey, President and CEO of Saint Elizabeth Health Care, was appointed in the summer of 2007 to provide advice on a comprehensive framework for determining human resources implications related to quality of care and quality of life of residents of long term care homes

View the Shirlee Sharkey Staffing and Care Standards Review online.

Learn more about long-term care in Ontario and the Aging at Home Strategy.

Backgrounder :

• Increasing Transparency & Quality In Long-Term Care

© Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2007  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimers  |   Last Modified :