Wait time for continuing care grows: report
Providing faster access to long-term slots suffers setback, Alberta Health says
Plans to provide faster access to long-term care and supportive living flopped last year, according to new provincial statistics that show many patients actually found themselves waiting longer for a bed.
Numbers included in the latest Alberta Health annual report show the goal of providing a continuing care bed within 30 days of assessment was achieved for 56 per cent of patients last year — the worst rate since the province began tracking the standard in 2011.
The 30-day benchmark was achieved 60 per cent of the time during the previous two years.
The province had hoped to hit a target of 62 per cent this past year.
Health Minister Sarah Hoffman could not be reached for comment, but the health ministry provided an emailed statement that said a number of factors contributed to the disappointing result.
Among those reasons were delays in opening new continuing care spaces, and some “unanticipated” issues that arose at a few specific facilities.
The statement did not provide any details.
“These facility challenges have since been resolved, and all new spaces originally planned for 2016-17 are expected to open in this fiscal year,” the statement said.
Upon entering office in 2015, the NDP government promised to address the crunch by opening 2,000 long-term care and dementia units. As an initial step, approval was given to 25 construction projects under the Alberta Supportive Living Initiative — down from 31 projects approved by the previous government — though just a handful of these facilities have since opened.
The province’s latest budget features $322 million over four years to expand continuing care, the ministry said.
Lack of room in continuing care has a domino effect on the whole health system, as patients often have to wait in overtaxed hospitals before they get placed.
Besides building more care centres, the ministry said it is also addressing the problem by expanding home care.
In theory, this will keep patients independent for a longer period of time and prevent them from needing a continuing care bed.
For this year, the province has set a target of getting 65 per cent of patients into continuing care within the 30-day benchmark.
The annual report noted overall health spending last year was $252 million higher than budgeted, largely due to extra costs for paying doctors.
A agreement signed with the Alberta Medical Association last year to slow physician costs prevented spending from getting further out of control, the ministry said.
As for Alberta Health Services, the agency posted a $67-million surplus last year, representing less than one per cent of its $14.3-billion budget.
However, the health authority saw its administration costs jump to $478 million, an increase of 10 per cent.
Alberta Health Services issued a statement saying the increase was mainly due to higher insurance costs resulting from infrastructure damage.
“Several facilities experienced flooding or water damage in the past year that contributed to a higher loss ratio.”
Administration costs represented about 3.3 per cent of total AHS spending, still well below the average for other health-care organizations in the country, the health authority said.
All new spaces originally planned for 2016-17 are expected to open in this fiscal year.