Critical staffing shortages in Ontario’s long-term care homes should be urgently addressed as the second wave of the pandemic intensifies, an independent commission said in interim recommendations released Friday. “We have heard repeatedly and consistently about critical staffing shortages pre-COVID and the reasons for long-standing recruitment and retention challenges in long-term care homes,” the commissioners wrote. The commission said 55 per cent of all long-term care homes in Ontario had COVID-19 outbreaks in the first wave. The province released that staffing study in July in response to the inquiry about Elizabeth Wettlaufer, a long-term care nurse who used severe staffing shortages to her advantage. “The Commissioners are right: long-term care staffing is in crisis, and was in crisis well before the pandemic,” said Donna Duncan, the association’s CEO.

Source: The Star October 23, 2020 15:12 UTC