Interior Health announces additional investment in residential care
By Nelson Daily Staff
An additional $5.9 million will be available in 2011 to enhance the care provided to residents living in publicly funded residential care sites, the region’s health authority announced Wednesday.
The investment will standardize the delivery of residential care across Interior Health and will be directed to staffing, education and quality initiatives. Particular attention will go towards enhancing care for residential clients with the highest and most complex needs.
Although it is not known how this additional money will affect the services contained within Nelson and other West Kootenay centres, it is expected the majority of Interior Health sites will see an increase in funding to deliver care to residents.
Across Interior Health, the hours of direct care that residents receive at all residential care sites will now meet an average of 3.15 care hours per resident per day. Care hours include the care provided by RNs, LPNs, Care Aides, and activity and rehab staff.
Interior Health will be hiring additional educators to support frontline staff, as well as introducing four quality coordinator positions to ensure the highest quality of care standards are in place at all residential sites.
A similar process of standardizing care hours occurred in the IH-contracted private partner sites last year when Interior Health invested an additional $4 million to ensure residents at these sites were provided with the same level and quality of service.
This additional investment is made possible through the residential rate adjustments that took effect across British Columbia in January 2010 and 2011.
