Re – For profit long term care

Ross Sutherland | May 13, 2020

I watch with horror the impact of the current pandemic on long-term care residents in Eastern Ontario and around the world. 

Since 1983 most research has shown a link between for-profit delivery of long-term care and inferior quality.

A 2016 study on the “Observational Evidence of For-Profit Delivery and Inferior Nursing Care”* concluded: “Decision makers have a responsibly to ensure nursing home public policy is most consistent with available evidence and least likely to cause harm. The majority of funding to operate and deliver care in nursing homes is derived from public, taxpayer-funded sources. When provided by the for-profit sector, the evidence suggests there is a greater likelihood of inferior care. It is time to re-align policy with evidence. Our seniors deserve better.”

The increased number of COVID-19 deaths in for-profit institutions has dramatically illustrated the threat of private ownership to long-term care residents. 

This is not secret information: governments know. There is no excuse. All new long-term care beds must be public and non-profit. We need to transition current for-profit homes to the public-non-profit sector.

The public-no-profit structural change is a pre-requisite to effectively implement the other reforms that will improve the quality and safety of our long-term care system.  

*Ronald LA, McGregor MJ, Harrington C, Pollock A, Lexchin J. Observational Evidence of For-Profit Delivery and Inferior Nursing Home Care: When Is There Enough Evidence for Policy Change?. PLoS Med. 2016;13(4):e1001995. Published 2016 Apr 19. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001995, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27093442/