A comprehensive third-party review to identify improvements to long-term care homes and personal care homes in Newfoundland and Labrador has been awarded, and is now underway. The review will include analysis of leading and best practices that support resident-centered care.

The province has awarded the contract valued at $397,500 to MNP to complete the review.

The review will identify opportunities and recommendations to improve the quality of care and quality of life of residents, as well as enhancing staff engagement and improving working conditions for staff. 

The review will assess and evaluate four key areas in the long-term care and personal care home programs to identify opportunities for improvement. They include:

• Quality of life: such as improvements to living arrangements and access to recreational activities; 
• Quality of care: such as evaluating the existing model, reviewing staff ratios and the delivery model of primary care to identity opportunities for improvements;
• Workforce: such as improving staff engagement and work-life balance and identifying opportunities to improve recruitment and retention practices based on leading evidence and informed by relevant stakeholders; and
• Governance: such as improvements to compliance monitoring and increasing accountability and trust in the quality of care by assessing existing procedures.

Recruitment and retention incentives were announced in spring 2023 to stabilize the long-term care workforce, including a recruitment and retention bonus for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and personal care attendants working in long term care throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

The final report and recommendations are anticipated spring 2024.