Home care concerns being swept under the rug

HALIFAX - The Liberal government has failed to complete recommendations from the Auditor General on accountability in the home care sector. Over three years since the Auditor General made these recommendations, the Liberal government has still not implemented a complaints process or finished developing mechanisms to ensure private providers are actually delivering the services they are being paid to provide. These issues will be discussed at the Public Accounts Committee being held today.

“The news is full of stories of patients and their families who are unable to get their complaints about home care addressed,” said Susan Leblanc, NDP Health and Wellness Spokesperson. “Too many people have reported missed appointments or inadequate service, and there is still no way of tracking these complaints, let alone confirming that the proper services were provided.”

Another major concern is the lack of transparency about the number of people on the home care wait list, and how long they have been waiting. This information is not released publicly the same way that details on long-term care are shared.

“This Liberal government has repeatedly justified its failure to invest in long-term care by saying that they are investing in home care, but this appears to be a shell game,” said Leblanc. “Without transparency about the full scope of the homecare wait list, Nova Scotians are in the dark about the state of our long-term care system ."

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