RNAO submission on Fixing Long-Term Care Act regulations ....

RNAO welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback regarding proposed amendments, in the areas of staffing, pandemic recovery and stabilization, and the clarification of technical amendments, to Ontario Regulation 246/22 under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021. [...] The deaths of 5,300 Ontario LTC residents since the outset of the pandemic has demanded significant changes to the care and operations of Ontario’s LTC homes. [...] RNAO is pleased to recommend the following resources and supports to inform the orientation experiences for both nursing clinical placement students and clinical nurse externs in LTC: • Webinar: “The Power of Strong Clinical Placements in LTC” is an RNAO webinar and conversation on how LTC homes and academic institutions can ignite the passion for nursing student placements in LTC. [...] Develop expanded and optimized nursing education pathways similar to Ontario’s Begin Program and New Brunswick’s Step Up to Nursing Initiative which combines work and education by providing salary and tuition support for PSW to bridge to RPN/LPN, or RPN/LPN to bridge to RN to encourage nurses to advance their nursing education and careers in Ontario. [...] Role RNAO recommended skill mix Current estimated skill mix RNs Minimum of 20% 9% RPNs Minimum of 25% 19% PSWs Maximum of 55% 72% The above data emphasizes the direct need to increase the complement of RNs and RPNs in LTC: The implementation of these direct care and skill mix recommendations will obviate the need for creating “innovative and flexible staffing solutions” to respond to the health hu.