Paid sick leave has emerged as one of the key recommendations from the B.C. Seniors Advocate report into COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes, alongside hiring more registered nurses and decreasing the number of contract staff.
The report from the office of seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie examined the contributing factors behind COVID-19 outbreaks between March 2020 and February 2021 which claimed the lives of 800 residents of long-term care and assisted living facilities in the province.
The report looked at 487 facilities and more than 100,000 records through its investigation, reviewing 365 outbreaks at 210 sites. This included feedback from over 6,500 staff who reported they were concerned about infecting residents and their own family members and reported their overall health and well-being was compromised by the experience of working through the pandemic.
Among the findings was that 76 per cent of first cases leading to an outbreak in a long-term care facility came from a staff member. It was further revealed that 40 per cent of long-term care staff went to work feeling unwell on one or more occasions during B.C.’s first two waves of the pandemic.
During a news conference following the report’s release, Mackenzie repeatedly underscored that increased paid sick leave would have one of the most significant impacts in dealing with this kind of outbreak.
Mackenzie noted their reasons for going to work feeling unwell was a combination of concern for their obligation to co-workers (55 per cent) and residents (38 per cent) as well as financial.
Nearly 29 per cent felt pressured by their employer and 20 per cent felt the financial pressure of not being paid if they didn’t show up for work.
“Their reasons for doing so were often benevolent and related to concern about the burden on co-workers and residents that their absence would cause,” said the report.
“However, 20 per cent of staff made a difficult choice to go into work because of financial pressures as they would not receive paid sick leave to stay at home.”
The report notes that only 60 per cent of staff are entitled to paid sick leave and one-third receive six days per year or less. “The impact of this on transmitting COVID-19 and other infectious diseases and illness is pronounced. Staff need to be supported financially if they remain at home when ill.”
A related recommendation urged increasing the pool of staff in order for there to be someone to replace staff who are absent due to illness. Also related is the call for decreasing the number of contracted staff involved in direct patient care.
“It is possible that if current wage levelling is continued, some of the benefits achieved by contracting direct care staff will diminish and an overall reduction will be achieved,” the report states.
The proportion of registered nursing staff at non-health authority facilities is also key, Mackenzie said. “This will be challenging to achieve immediately due to the staffing shortages and the long training horizon for those who wish to become an RN, but we can begin the process,” she added.
As Sienna Senior Living spokesperson Nadia Daniell-Colarossi noted, staffing pressures throughout the pandemic have become more pronounced for the entire long-term care sector. Sienna is the operator of Mariposa Gardens Retirement and Care Community in Osoyoos.
“Given the intensity of the pandemic, many frontline workers have chosen to leave the field,” she said. At the same time, COVID-19 has created more demand for registered staff across the LTC sector as well as at hospitals, schools, and other workplaces.
“This is being experienced across B.C., including in Osoyoos,” she said. “As a result, we are strongly focused on recruiting frontline providers within this highly competitive space by offering full-time hours, ongoing education and training, recognition programs, paid sick leave and a culture that allows team members to fulfill their passion for working with seniors.
“We are grateful for the team members at Mariposa, who have worked tirelessly to protect the health and safety of residents throughout the pandemic. As a result of their diligence and commitment, public health has not had to declare any outbreaks of COVID-19 in our care community.”
Increasing the scope and frequency of testing through a combination of rapid testing and PCR tests is also crucial the report highlights.
On vaccinations for staff of long-term care and assisted living homes, this has been accomplished through the current Provincial Health Orders. “The evidence is overwhelming and it is not unreasonable to expect those who work in health care to take all precautions to protect the patient or in the case of long-term care and assisted living, the resident.”
Sienna Senior Living says it will be reviewing the report and the recommendations in detail. “We are committed to working with our sector partners, public health and provincial government to strengthen seniors’ care. Many lessons have been learned in the past 19 months, and Sienna has acted on them by implementing a number of changes to improve the delivery of care and services,” it says.
Welcoming the report, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix noted that many of the recommendations are in progress, including a province-wide sick leave program now being worked on by Labour Minister Harry Bains that will come into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.
