Lack of French-speaking staff leading to burnout at P.E.I. long-term care home, MLA says

Stephen Brun · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 4:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Issues were raised successful the P.E.I. Legislature astir staffing shortages and diligent information astatine a provincially operated semipermanent attraction location successful Charlottetown. 

Some nurses from Beach Grove Home were looking connected Friday arsenic Opposition wellness professional Gord McNeilly brought up their concerns astir vacant bilingual nursing positions. 

The Liberal MLA said unit told him up to 84 resident-care idiosyncratic (RCW) shifts spell unfilled each period astatine the location owed to a deficiency of French-speaking workers. 

"A caregiver reached retired to maine and she said that… she's stressed. She goes home, can't relax. She utilized to bash things similar tally and rhythm and she had to enactment those connected hold," said McNeilly, who represents Charlottetown-West Royalty wherever the location is located.  

"This is the dedication of our health-care staff, but we're burning them out… and it was heartbreaking to get that message." 

P.E.I. Health Minister Mark McLane confirmed that 1 of 2 bilingual licensed applicable caregiver positions astatine Beach Grove Home is vacant, portion 5 of 8 French-speaking RCW positions are unfilled. 

While helium admitted it tin beryllium challenging to prosecute bilingual wellness workers, McLane said Collège de l'Île has restarted its grooming programme for French-speaking RCWs, and the state is trying to enlistee internationally. 

"At this time, there's really lone 1 bilingual nonmigratory astatine [Beach Grove Home], truthful the demands aren't excessively great," helium said. "With New Brunswick being our neighbour, it's pugnacious to vie for bilingual positions."

In the legislature, the wellness curate pointed to efforts Health P.E.I. is making to enlistee much nurses to its system, including assistance programs and an enlargement of UPEI's nursing program. 

McLane besides said 500 nursing positions crossed the Island are being made permanent, which helium said volition assistance stabilize the workforce. 

But McNeilly said those efforts bash small to assistance the burned-out unit astatine Beach Grove Home successful the short-term.  

"We privation the French services, but… you're leaving vacant shifts due to the fact that of this technicality," helium said. "It's not a connection issue; it's a work issue."

McNeilly asked whether McLane would perpetrate to directing Health P.E.I. to prosecute English-only word roles for 1 twelvemonth to complement the home's unit until those imperishable positions tin beryllium filled. 

The wellness curate said helium would instrumentality that proposition backmost to his department.

Unsafe ablution facilities, says staff

Beach Grove unit besides wrote to McNeilly with concerns astir subpar ablution facilities for patients connected the facility's Harbour wing. 

They said the stall's flooring is not designed for a shower, truthful h2o leaks retired into the communal country — conditions that caused wounded to 1 worker, who slipped connected the bedewed floor. The workers wrote that the ablution besides doesn't person a somesthesia gauge, which is against provincial policy. 

McLane said helium would sojourn the location to talk to unit astir the issues, adding that determination is wealth successful the provincial fund for upgrades.