EDMONTON- Just over one month after Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced the amalgamation of home care in our province, the decision has been partially reversed.
On June 1st, changes came into effect that reduced the number of home care service providers in Alberta from 42 to 13. AHS said it was in an effort to streamline the system.
However, the decision was met with resistance. Many clients and service providers voiced their concerns, saying patient care would suffer.
As a result, Health Minister Fred Horne ordered a review of the changes.
Now, a number of home care providers who were told they would be losing their contracts with AHS will be offered new contracts.
“We recognized that we needed to make some changes and that’s what we did,” said AHS Administrator Janet Davidson.
“I think there is an opportunity, through a process like this, to actually ensure some consistent quality standards across the province and some standard costs,” Davidson added.
The changes only apply in Edmonton and mainly affect congregate living facilities.
“These would be lodges or supportive living facilities where staff in those facilities had, up to that point, provided all of the care. And under the new arrangements we would have seen multiple care teams coming into the facility- some people to do the home care and then facility staff to provide the basic care,” Horne said over the phone Saturday afternoon.
“These additional providers, they help make sure that as much as possible, people get their care from the same staff that they know and that care for them every day,” Horne added.
The amalgamation process was going to save AHS an estimated $18 million. Officials say that’s still the case now, although details of the contracts offered to providers haven’t been made public.
“If they’re saying that they’re going to be saving over $10 million, then we need to be able to see how it is that they’re going to be saving money,” explained Sandra Azocar, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “I don’t think it goes far enough in terms of transparency and allowing us to understand the whole contracting process.”
Azocar and the opposition are calling on AHS to make the results of the review public, and do it soon.
“Hopefully this review will be able to provide us with a real clear insight as to exactly how these contracts were awarded to begin with. And secondly, how it is that we’re going to be saving money, if we’re going to be saving money, in a realistic way, not on the backs of workers or the back of patient care,” Azocar explained.
“Fred Horne now must have a review of this home care situation. He needs to make that public. We need to see that on Monday to determine exactly where we’re at and how he’s making these decisions,” NDP Health Critic David Eggen urged. “Do it next week. He’s got to do it next week.”
Davidson says review report and recommendations will be made public soon.
With files from Jenna Bridges, Global News.
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