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Nova Scotia Demand for Measures to Attract and Retain Continuing Care WorkersNova Scotia workers and their organizations are demanding that definite measures be taken to attract and retain more continuing care workers. While acknowledging the plans of the provincial government to hire recruiters in order to hire more health care workers, the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) writes in a November 1 media release that the plan will not ensure that this work is adequately funded, staffed and treated as an integral part of improving the health care system overall. Continuing care workers provide care for people outside of hospitals, in their private homes and long-term care homes. "Right now, we need our elected leaders to take a giant leap towards supporting Continuing Care Assistants," said NSGEU President Jason MacLean. "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." According to the NSGEU, there are two immediate steps that government must take: implement the recommended minimum 4.1 daily hours of care for residents in long-term care facilities that has been put forward by several health care organizations, and implement standard shifts to alleviate stress on home care workers. The press release points out that in the home care sector, in the absence of standard work schedules, home care workers can be required to be 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 cancelled, the employee has to be willing to pick up visits, at any time, over a seven to 14-day period to ensure they get paid. Shifts are subject to 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 would go a long way to alleviate the immense stress faced by home care workers by bringing stability to their work schedules and would improve recruitment and retention of workers in the sector. As well, the NSGEU points out that to solve the problem of recruitment and retention it is necessary that the agencies be funded properly to provide reliable, standard schedules for employees. A related problem, according to the NSGEU, is that the ability of agencies to offer income guarantees is hindered by their inadequate funding. The union notes that hospitals, long-term care homes and home care are competing for workers because compensation levels are not equal. It is proposing that the government provide funding in a way that allows for equivalent compensation levels for all continuing care workers. "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 Jason MacLean.
This article was published in Article Link:   Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca |
