PSW wage increase called too little, too late
Home-care system called ‘key part of Ontario’s fight against COVID-19’
While welcoming new provincial funding to give personal support workers a temporary raise, advocacy groups fear it won’t be enough to make a lasting impact on the industry.
“It’s a Band-Aid,” said Carol Dueck, chair of Network 4 Long Term Care Advocacy Committee, whose organization has lobbied for wage increases in the hope of addressing a shortage of personal support workers (PSWs) to assist seniors.
She said the province’s announcement Thursday of more than $460 million to boost wages for PSWs working in publicly-funded homes and community care providers is only temporary and does not address efforts to increase standard care levels in long-termcare facilities to four hours of care per resident per day.
“I’m very glad they did it, although it was last minute — especially since the second wave (of COVID-19) is already starting and we’ve got people in intensive care and a few outbreaks in long-term care,” she said.
“But (the province) has to bite the bullet eventually and get on with doing four hours of care for everybody and paying PSWs accordingly.”
Dueck also fears that the new funding also came too late.
“A lot of people who were working over the summer have gone back to school. Already, we’ve got vacancies that they (long-term-care homes) can’t fill,” she said.
Home Care Ontario chief executive officer Sue VanderBent welcomed the announcement, noting that PSWs working in home-care settings are paid considerably less than those doing the same jobs in longterm-care and acute-care facilities.
She said Home Care Ontario — an umbrella group for Ontario’s home-care providers — has continued to advocate on behalf of PSWs and other critical caregivers, calling for wage parity with those working in the same occupations in other health-care settings.
“There are tens of thousands of PSWs who provide critical, family-funded home-care services, and while not included in today’s announcement, their valuable role should also be recognized,” VanderBent said in a statement.
“Ontario’s home-care system is a key part of Ontario’s fight against COVID-19, and a critical tool to allow the province to restart elective surgeries. Our PSWs, both publicly and familyfunded, are at the very front line of this battle and work tirelessly every day to help people live safely at home,” VanderBent added.