Worker shortage overwhelming Ontario’s home care system

An organization representing home care providers is sounding the alarm over a severe shortage of staff.

Home Care Ontario says an exodus of employees has left thousands of Ontarians without the care they need and the problem is particularly bad in Hamilton and Niagara.

Sue Vanderbent, CEO of Home Care Ontario, says a severe shortage of nurses and PSWs have left nearly $6,000 people in Ontario without the home care services they need.

Before the pandemic, Vanderbent says requests for home nursing care were fulfilled 95 per cent of the time, but now it’s about half the time on average. In Hamilton and Niagara, requests are only filled 45 per cent of the time, one of the worst rates in the province.

Chris Wilson from CBI Health, a company that provides home care services to nearly 30,000 patients a year in the Hamilton area, says they’ve only had a few applicants. “Workers know they can earn a lot more working in long-term care and acute care,” said Wilson.

Home Care Ontario says $4,000 nurses, thousands of PSWs and hundreds of skilled therapists have left homecare since the pandemic began.

A PSW can earn about $6 more per hour in long-term care and about $7 more per hour in hospitals. An RPN can earn $4 more per hour in long-term care and about $6 more per hour in hospitals.

“The differential has gotten so much greater during covid when there are incentives, actual incentives of pay to say come and work in the hospital, come and work in long term care,” Vanderbent.

Michael Hurley from the Canadian Union of Public Employees agrees equalizing pay across the health care system is the answer. Hurley says while much homecare work is part-time, making the jobs secure, full-time positions will help recruit more staff to the sector.