Significant Care Aide Registry reforms applauded by B.C. seniors care providers

Burnaby, B.C. (November 13, 2019): Much-needed reforms to the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry announced today by Minister of Health Adrian Dix are a significant step toward addressing the health human resource crisis impacting the seniors care sector, says BC Care Providers Association (BCCPA).

At a news conference held this morning at the Three Links Care Centre in Vancouver, BCCPA CEO Daniel Fontaine stood alongside Hon. Adrian Dix, B.C.’s Minister of Health, as several significant changes were announced that will streamline the regulatory burden which often delayed or deterred people from taking work in our province as health care assistants or community health workers.

“The reforms announced by Minister Dix today are the largest steps our sector has seen in over a decade aimed at addressing the health human resources crisis in B.C.,” says BCCPA CEO Daniel Fontaine. “This news will be warmly received by our members, who have struggled with the many barriers they face to staff their care homes and home care operations in recent years.

“It is clear that our concerns have been heard, and we think these reforms could be a game-changer for seniors care providers right across the province.”

According to the Ministry of Health news release, the Province will initiate the following reforms:

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• • Health care assistants living in other provinces will no longer need a B.C. address to apply to the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry.
  • Eligible applicants will not be required to take the Nursing Community Assessment Service (NCAS) and pay the $800 fee.
  • After qualifying for the new faster pathway, out-of-province Canadian-trained health care assistants will be enrolled in a standardized orientation program. This new pathway is expected to take effect on January 15th, 2020.

The Ministry of Health also announced $2.26 million in funding over the next three years to Health Match BC to implement a recruitment strategy for health care assistants. Of the $2.26 million, $1 million will be allocated to a bursary program and $700,000 will be allocated to a recruitment campaign. The remaining funds will cover https://bccare.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/medcare-img22.jpgistrative costs.

The HHR crisis has been elevated to the top of BCCPA’s advocacy. Since 2018, BCCPA has undertaken multiple measures to analyze and resolve the crisis, including hosting an sector-wide collaborative with care providers, government, labour unions and training colleges; issuing two reports outlining the scale of the crisis and providing 10 recommendations on how to resolve it; establishing a $25,000 HCA bursary program in partnership with Okanagan College, and; partnering with Health Match BC to design their new Choose2Care recruitment campaign. This month, BCCPA published its first-ever “heat map” to illustrate the scale of the care worker shortages in B.C.

“BCCPA would like to thank Minister Adrian Dix and Health Ministry staff for working closely with our sector on these challenges,” adds Fontaine. “We look forward to further collaborations with the province to strengthen our sector and to improve quality of life for B.C.’s seniors in care.”