Province moving ahead with plan to add more long-term care beds, health minister says

Thinh Nguyen · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 12:37 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

P.E.I.'s wellness curate says the state is acceptable to determination guardant with a program to grow semipermanent attraction beds connected the Island.

In the legislature Tuesday, Minister of Health and Wellness Mark McLane said a tender has been issued to adhd 50 caller backstage semipermanent attraction beds. Such a committedness includes ensuring there's enough staff successful a installation to supply attraction to the diligent successful that bed.

McLane was answering Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly, who wanted to know the presumption of a antecedently cancelled tender for 175 backstage beds. That petition for proposals was cancelled astir a twelvemonth ago.

"You had an RFP retired for 175 beds that was cancelled. We're waiting for that to beryllium reissued. Minister, wherever is the RFP for 175 semipermanent attraction beds?" McNeilly asked during question period.

McLane responded: "We volition station that RFP erstwhile the different 50-bed RFP closes. We don't privation them retired successful the marketplace astatine the aforesaid time. It volition beryllium posted the adjacent day."

The existent tender for 50 beds is acceptable to adjacent connected Thursday.

McNeilly then asked for a timeline connected erstwhile those beds mightiness beryllium available. McLane said that erstwhile the state added 50 beds past year, immoderate opened wrong 30 to 60 days, but others required much clip for superior improvements to facilities and certification to guarantee they met the indispensable semipermanent attraction specifications.

"So each concern is different," helium said.

In the throne code opening the outpouring league of the legislature 2 weeks ago, the Rob Lantz authorities said it would adhd and fund 50 much beds successful nationalist semipermanent attraction homes and 175 beds successful backstage facilities.

The contented affects much than conscionable seniors waiting for a semipermanent attraction bed. During a proceeding successful February 2024, MLAs were told that 14 per cent of beds successful Island hospitals were being occupied by patients waiting for semipermanent care, truthful different kinds of patients can't beryllium admitted for infirmary care. 

Concerns raised over placement policy

McNeilly besides raised concerns astir the province's first-available-bed policy.

It means that if a suitable furniture is not disposable successful a senior's archetypal prime for a attraction home, that idiosyncratic volition beryllium asked to determination to the archetypal disposable furniture anyplace successful the system. If they diminution that furniture portion waiting successful hospital, the infirmary whitethorn proceed with discharging them without a attraction furniture successful place.

McNeilly said the argumentation is affecting Islanders, particularly those successful agrarian areas, wherever aged couples are being separated and families are struggling to sojourn loved ones owed to agelong question distances.

"That's cold, that's objective and it's cruel. This authorities created the semipermanent attraction backlog, yet Island families are being punished and separated for your deficiency of planning," helium said.

The Liberal MLA called connected the state to perpetrate to reviewing the policy.

In response, McLane said the argumentation is accordant with those of different provinces. He noted that seniors who person accepted an existing furniture but privation to determination person to their families volition get preferential attraction erstwhile a section furniture later becomes available.

He besides pointed to existing location attraction supports that let seniors to enactment successful their own home longer and stay person to family.

One specified enactment is the Self-Managed Care Program, which presently supports astir 2,700 clients, compared to 4,500 past year.

There is besides the At Home Caregiver Benefit program, which provides fiscal assistance to Islanders needing a level of attraction that would different necessitate semipermanent care, allowing them to stay successful their ain homes and compensating their superior caregivers. The programme is supporting astir 300 families, the curate said.

"We are supporting seniors successful P.E.I., they privation to enactment astatine home... arsenic agelong arsenic possible, safely and with the enactment from both... those programs," McLane said.