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PEI's Care Bed Spree: Enough Staff for New Homes?
10 Oct
Summary
- PEI plans to add nearly 400 new long-term care beds soon.
- The province aims for 1,700 beds by 2029, but faces staffing worries.
- Nurses' union reports members are stretched thin and working double shifts.
Prince Edward Island's government is investing heavily in new long-term care beds, with hundreds of millions allocated for privately operated homes and expansions. The province aims to add nearly 400 beds in the immediate future and a total of 1,700 by 2029. This initiative includes adding 82 beds at Whisperwood in Charlottetown and proposals for up to 48 beds in Kings County, alongside other announced private beds.
However, the P.E.I. Nurses' Union expresses significant concern regarding staffing levels for these new facilities. Union president Kim Sears noted that current nursing staff are "stretched thin" and often working double shifts. The union questions the government's and operators' plans for recruitment and retention, fearing a potential exodus of registered nurses from the public system to private homes.
With the majority of new beds not expected to open until 2029, there is time to address these critical staffing issues. The union advocates for increased public long-term care beds and argues that competitive agreements, more nursing school seats, and enhanced recruitment are necessary to fill vacancies without creating competition between public and private care sectors.
