Toronto, August 18: The Ontario government has released the next phase of its “Plan to Stay Open” ahead of what they say will likely be a rise in respiratory illnesses in the next few months.
The plan focuses on “healthcare
system stability and recovery” and aims to add thousands of healthcare workers and free up hospital beds. Officials said these additions will help reduce the burden on the broader health system, which has been severely strained over the past few months with staffing shortages.
“Historically, fall and winter are when cases of respiratory illnesses rise, putting strain on emergency departments, hospitals and the broader health system, including long-term care,” the 18-page document, released on Thursday, reads.
The Progressive Conservative government will introduce legislation that will allow senior patients in hospital waiting to be placed in a long-term care home to be transferred to an alternative facility, potentially in a different community, until their preferred spot opens.
Officials said this new policy will free up 250 hospital beds in the first six months.
The government said there will be “mandatory guidelines” used to ensure patients remain close to their loved ones and that there are no additional costs; however, few details were provided as to what those guidelines entail.
Speaking to reporters Thursday morning, Minister of Long-Term Care Paul Calandra said this proposal will ensure patients are receiving care in the appropriate settings.
“There are unfortunately those patients who doctors say no longer need to be in a hospital, but can’t go home either because they require additional care,” he said. “These amendments, if passed, will make it easier to temporarily transition these patients into a long-term care home where they can receive more appropriate care in a more comfortable setting.”
He said patients will not be forced to leave the hospital against their will, but the legislation will allow for conversations to “continue” between coordinators, seniors, and their families.
“There is a challenge in acute care and long-term care is in a position to make a difference for the first time in generations,” Calandra added.
Calandra also said no one waiting for a bed in a long-term care facility from the priority waiting list will be removed as a result of this policy.
The last time the Ontario government said they would transfer ill hospital patients into long-term care homes to free up space was in April 2021 amid the third wave of the pandemic. This was done as an amendment to the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, and meant that patients could be moved without their consent or the consent of a decision maker.
Long-term care beds set aside for COVID-19 isolation will also become available by the end of the summer. Officials say this decision was made based on the advice of the chief medical officer of health and will free up 1,000 beds within six months.
They also hope to expand on a program that allows paramedics to transport patients somewhere other than an emergency room or to treat them at the scene. The government says that a pilot program showed 94 per cent of patients avoided the emergency department in the days following treatment.
The Ontario government has said it is “investing more” to increase surgeries in both paediatric hospitals and private clinics covered by Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). They will also fund more than 150,000 additional operating hours for hospital-based MRI and CT machines.
The Doug Ford government has come under fire recently for suggesting the privatization of health care was being considered as a way to relieve the burden from hospitals. Since then, both the premier and Jones have been adamant that Ontarians will be able to access services using their OHIP card.
Today we introduced the next phase of our Plan to Stay Open.
This plan will add up to 6,000 more #HealthCare workers, free up over 2,500 hospital beds & provide better, more appropriate care to avoid unnecessary visits to emergency departments.https://t.co/vsn9MP4cn8 pic.twitter.com/YI5n5759M7
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) August 18, 2022
