This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
“The Premier has pledged to fix health care, and it is critical that we remember that long-term care and home care are a part of health care. They cannot be neglected any longer." — Jason MacLean, NSGEU President
Halifax (02 Nov. 2021) — The Nova Scotia government's announcement yesterday is a small step in the right direction towards addressing recruitment and retention issues in the continuing care sector, but it does not go far enough to ensure this work is properly funded, staffed and treated as an integral part of the overall health care system.
“Right now, we need our elected leaders to take a giant leap towards supporting continuing care assistants,(CCAs)” said Jason MacLean, President of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees' Union (NSGEU/NUPGE). “You can hire all the recruiters you want, but if the wages and benefits aren’t competitive with what is being offered in other jurisdictions, workers will not choose to be a part of Nova Scotia’s continuing care sector.”
There are 2 immediate, meaningful steps government can take:
1. implement the recommended minimum 4.1 daily hours of care for residents in long-term care facilities
2. Implement standard shifts and shift codes to alleviate stress on home care workers.
Implement standard shifts
In the home care sector, because of non-standard work schedules, some workers are available for 12 to 14 hours a day for what can amount to just a few hours of pay. In some agencies, if a client visit is canceled, the employee has to be willing to pick up visits, at any time, over a period of 7 to 14 days to ensure they get paid. Shifts can change without notice, leaving families struggling to make childcare arrangements, forcing employees to miss previously scheduled appointments and preventing employees from being able to fulfill previously made commitments to their families and communities.
The implementation of standard shifts and shift codes would alleviate the stress on workers by bringing stability to their work schedules. It is of vital importance to the retention and recruitment of CCAs in the home support sector that the agencies are funded properly to provide reliable, standard schedules to employees working in the sector.
Guaranteed hours of income
The retention of CCAs in the home care sector is often also hindered by the ability of some agencies to offer guarantees of income. It is difficult for agencies to retain staff when there is no sustainable level of income. And clearly, it is difficult to attract staff with no guarantee of compensation.
Furthermore, sectors (acute care, long-term care, and home care) are in competition with each other because compensation levels are not equal.
The department of Health must provide funding to ensure equivalent compensation levels for CCAs in all 3 settings (acute, long-term care, and home care).
“The Premier has pledged to fix health care, and it is critical that we remember that long-term care and home care are a part of health care. They cannot be neglected any longer,” said MacLean.