Home-care program thought to be $5.6M over budget highlights P.E.I. union's privatization fears

Sheehan Desjardins · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The P.E.I. Union of Public Sector Employees is raising concerns astir a home-care programme that it says is an illustration of health-care privatization — and seems to be millions of dollars implicit budget.

It's called the Self-Managed Care Program. According to a Health P.E.I. lawsuit handbook obtained by UPSE, it's designed to provide funding for enactment astatine location for seniors and different radical with superior wellness issues who mightiness different beryllium going into long-term care.

That raises a reddish emblem with UPSE enforcement manager Jason Rendell. 

"I deliberation that's a premier illustration of privatization," helium told CBC News. 

"This was an existing nationalist work that was offered done the home-care enactment programme ... In summation to that, the individuals that really enactment underneath location care, which [are] our members, are being advised that they ... can't enactment for these backstage entities, truthful taking our enactment away."

Finding retired astir the programme is challenging too, helium said.

"There's thing connected the website," helium said. 

"The biggest concern, basically, would beryllium the prime of attraction that radical are getting... We conscionable consciousness that the work should beryllium provided done the nationalist [system], wherever again, I said before, there's accountability, transparency and trained, prime care."

In a connection to CBC News, Health P.E.I. said the programme is simply a aviator meant to "complement the suite of programs helping Islanders who are eligible for semipermanent attraction enactment successful their location arsenic agelong arsenic possible."

The bureau said seniors and different radical with superior wellness issues tin get wealth for respite and idiosyncratic attraction from relatives not surviving astatine the aforesaid address, from friends oregon from private-hire attraction supports. 

"It besides allows clients to determine for themselves the quality and timing of attraction that suits them — adjacent successful the evenings and overnight hours erstwhile location attraction isn't available," said the statement. 

In January 2025, the national filed a state of accusation petition with Health P.E.I. seeking accusation astir the program.

The accusation provided by Health P.E.I. says the "forecasted spending for the Self-Managed Care Program for the [fiscal year] 2024- 2025 is $350,000."  

However, different papers with accusation taken from Health P.E.I.'s third-quarter forecast for 2024-2025 says the "forecasted spending for the Self-Managed Care Program and the Long-Term Care astatine Home Program for the [fiscal year] 2024-2025 is $6,015,941."

In an email to CBC News, Health P.E.I. said those numbers are estimates, since the last expenditures volition not beryllium disposable until astir mid-April. 

UPSE points retired successful its quality release that this wealth could person been utilized elsewhere. For example, it said, had that wealth been invested into P.E.I.'s publically funded home-care program, much than 100 full-time, trained home-support workers could person been hired. 

Home-care programs supported

The Island has antecedently struggled with a shortage of beds successful semipermanent attraction facilities, some successful the authorities strategy and successful the publically supported backstage system. Because of that, seniors person occasionally ended up waiting successful infirmary beds, which are successful abbreviated proviso too.

Health P.E.I. said request for the aviator task has been precise high, and location attraction is playing an important relation successful helping to easiness the demand for semipermanent attraction beds.

"More than a 4th of clients were approved to the Self-Managed Care Program to facilitate infirmary discharge, contributing to improved strategy entree and travel portion promoting diligent and family-centred care," the connection said. 

UPSE besides supports Island residents being capable to property successful their homes, if possible. That's not lone due to the fact that it tin beryllium amended for the health-care system, the national said, but besides due to the fact that it tin beryllium much comfy for the seniors themselves.

Where the 2 organizations disagree is connected who should beryllium capable to present that service: Private employees, nationalist ones, oregon both? 

"The highly skilled unit of the Provincial Home Care Program are an important portion of the squad helping Islanders property astatine home," said Health P.E.I. "The Self-Managed Care Program successful nary mode diminishes oregon replaces their invaluable contribution."

But UPSE said it worries that continuing down what it calls a "privatization path" volition make a two-tiered wellness strategy that lone immoderate radical tin access. 

"Only happening that we're advocating for would beryllium for individuals to beryllium cared for done the nationalist service," said Rendell. "There conscionable appears that there's a inclination moving toward privatization — and it's concerning for unions arsenic a whole."