About 350,000 people receive home care every year, whether from nurses or occupational therapists or even for domestic help, in particular. Not to mention the waiting list, which is approaching 19,000 users.
However, according to the Health and Welfare Commissioner (CSBE), Joanne Castonguay, the response to home care and support services needs remains limited
.
In a report consulted by Radio-Canada, the Commissioner’s team draws up an initial assessment of the mandate entrusted to it last year by the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, with the aim ofassess performance
home support programs.
Citing data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), the report states, among other things, that$ per capita in home and community care services, placing it 11thrank in Canada”,”text”:”Québec invests $259 per capita in home and community care services, which places it 11th in Canada”}}”>Quebec invests $259 per capita in home and community care services, which ranks it 11th in Canada.
In 2020, Quebec devoted more than two billion dollars to home support (SAD), not to mention tax credits of $700 million for home help and caregivers.
As Ms. Castonguay points out,% between 2016 and2020 and that did not allow us to catch up with the other provinces”,”text”:”there was a 30% increase between 2016 and 2020 and that did not allow us to catch up with the other provinces”}}”>there was a 30% increase between 2016 and 2020 and that did not allow us to catch up with the other provinces.
a”,”text”:”Do more with what we”}}”>Do more with what we have
For Commissioner Castonguay, the future of home care no longer necessarily requires an increase in financial and human resources.
« We must support innovation, do more with the means we have, not squeeze a lemon, but work differently, work on things that are more relevant. »
According to Ms. Castonguay, on [se concentre] on well-established things, like going to clean the house [à domicile], go and give the pill. It’s all separate when there are plenty of things we could do that would improve the results […] and maybe we could serve a few more people
.
The commissioner gives the example of the organization of palliative care at the CLSC de Verdun, where access to medical care enables the majority of users to end their days at home. An exception in Quebec.
Physicians are generally little involved in home support
notes the commissioner’s team, who also points out the complexity for caregivers to find their way around.
Radio-Canada made public on Monday the testimony of a patient in Montérégie-Est where the absence of a designated doctor in certain CLSCs complicates the organization of care.
The CSBE team is due to publish a series of recommendations in a final report next December.
Au dropper
notes the College of Physicians
In addition to the CSBE, the College of Physicians of Quebec (CMQ) has also looked into the organization of home care in recent months.
It seems that the CLSCs are limiting home support to a trickle, in particular because of turnover and the scarcity of staff.
writes the College after discussions with user committees across Quebec.
The committees also proposed to the CMQ the creation of a new home medicine specialty.
Called to react Tuesday morning, the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, estimates that additional sums of $3 billion will be required to make a shift towards home care. Making the shift to home care is a major budgetary reorientation that the CAQ does not want to make
he says.