A companion piece to this paper, The Hidden Costs of Health Care Wage Cuts in BC by Marc Lee and Marcy Cohen, looks at the personal, family and organizational impacts of wage cuts in the health care sector.
Health, health care system, pharmacare
Wage cuts and contracting out of health support jobs harming workers and health care system: reports
(Vancouver) On the first anniversary of BC’s health care strike, two new studies show that wage cuts and contracting out in BC’s health support services are having negative impacts on workers, workplace morale, and the quality of patient care. The studies also suggest that the hoped-for savings from these policies are offset, if not erased altogether, by lower productivity, higher turnover, and other hidden costs to the health care system.
In recent months the provincial government has acknowledged that it has not delivered the 5,000 new long-term residential care beds promised during the last election. But it continues to claim success in its overall approach to restructuring BC’s continuing care services, even if falling short on the beds promise. We are told that there are plans for thousands of new beds, and that we need not worry because although the population of seniors is growing, they are healthier than ever before.
(Vancouver) The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is calling on the provincial government to provide a detailed accounting of continuing care services in BC that includes a breakdown of current bed numbers by level of care.
(Vancouver) Access to long-term care and home health services for BC seniors has decreased significantly over the past three years, in spite of rising pressures from an aging population and cuts to the acute care system. The level of services in BC has fallen far below the Canadian average, and is now near the bottom compared to other provinces. Cuts have also been much deeper in some health authorities than others, leading to growing regional inequities in the availability of care.
Over the last 15 years there have been repeated calls to reform and modernize how services are delivered within the Canadian public health care system. Yet, despite broad and continuing support among academics, unions, government and the public alike, there remain systemic barriers that limit the effectiveness and scope of new approaches for delivering public health care services.
This flu season so far has been quirkier than most, with more twists and turns than a B-grade slasher movie. We can tell you we are glued to our seats watching Canada’s media have a field day, expending barrels of ink on the ups and downs of this season’s flu saga.