Liberals push for LTC timeline
Premier said 54 new beds would be open in 30 days, after licensing is completed
A promised 30-day timeline for establishing 54 new long-term beds had not yet started, Health Minister Mark Mclane told members of the legislative assembly on March 13.
During question period, Mclane was asked about a plan, first outlined in Premier Dennis King’s state of the province speech on Feb. 26, to open 54 new long-term care beds in privately operated homes.
Liberal MLA Gord Mcneilly said the emergency room at Queen Elizabeth Hospital is often backed up as patients await long-term care placement.
Mcneilly referenced King’s speech on Feb. 26, including the plan to open the longterm care beds in 30 days.
"The clock is ticking. The premier will soon be at his 30-day commitment. Minister of Health, can you provide a definite timeline for when these beds will be available?" Mcneilly asked.
Mclane said he was happy to receive this question. He said the 30-day timeline is to begin after the new beds are licensed by the province’s long-term care licensing board.
"The actual correct way to phrase this is 30 days from approval. We need to make sure that we have approval for these beds, that they're safe and that they're the specs that we expect,” Mclane said.
"So it's 30 days from approval."
Mclane did not provide a timeline on how long it will take for the new long-term care beds to be fully licensed.
King’s February speech had mentioned a plan developed with private long-term care operators to open beds within 30 days. King’s speech also said this would happen “within 30 days of beds being licensed.”
A March 2022 internal review of long-term care capacity in the province warned that P.E.I. will need to open 435 new long-term care beds by 2025 to keep up with the aging population, if current practices continue.
King’s commitment on Feb. 26, which he said had been developed within a day of a meeting involving himself, the minister of Health and the private long-term care operators, would be the first significant expansion of longterm care beds in years.
Speaking in the legislature, King chastised Mcneilly and members of the Liberal Opposition for not attending his state of the province speech on Feb. 26.
"If the Opposition would have came to the event, they might have heard some of the good news that they're railing against time and time again,” King said.