Duplication, Overlapping Jurisdictions and Rigid Regulations Should Be Reviewed
Vancouver, BC (July 14, 2014): Overlapping jurisdictions, rigid nutritional regulations and excessive paperwork are a few of the issues BC’s care homes face on a daily basis. A new report titled Seniors Care for a Change was produced for the BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA) by Izen Consulting. The report provides real-life stories of the increasingly complex regulatory and policy environment facing care providers across the province.
“The report is not intended to point fingers, but rather become a starting point for discussion regarding how we can get staff hugging residents instead of computers,” says Daniel Fontaine, CEO for the BCCPA. “The report clearly indicates there is a lot of unnecessary red tape in the continuing care sector that we trust the government will want to reform as part of their overall Core Review process.”
“The end result of reducing red tape can often be much more than cost savings,” says Fontaine. “In many cases by simply providing more flexibility in the system or eliminating unnecessary regulations you can make a significant and positive impact in the kind of seniors care delivered on the front-line. We have a rapidly ageing population and if we don’t get this right, we’ll all be impacted in some way.”
The report includes 5 key recommendations to help improve BC’s continuing care sector. They include:
1)Strengthen client payment and collection of outstanding debts
2)Develop a new funding model of government’s role in care
3)Implement a person-centred approach to care
4)Reduce overlap with the investigation and inspection process
5)Streamline and standardize reporting and data collection
Reforming nutritional regulations was an area that triggered significant interest from BCCPA members who contributed to the report. One care provider shared a story regarding how a senior with a sweet tooth living in their residence was being impacted.
“Linda asked for a piece of lemon cake after a meal because it is her favourite dessert. She tells us that she has always been a dessert enthusiast and used to love baking before she moved to our care home. Desserts bring joy and decadence into her life; however, we must refuse her the cake in order to adhere to nutrition regulations.”
Another care provider shared an inspection report documenting how they had broken the rules by using ground cinnamon with 9% trans fat. The current rules states the maximum should be no more than 5%.
Seniors Care for a Change is based on a review of relevant and existing literature, in tandem with consultations with stakeholders in the BC continuing care sector. Stakeholder consultations accounted for approximately 30% of the industry. An electronic copy of the report can be downloaded by clicking here.
