A Burnaby care home for veteran seniors is moving ahead with a plan to contract out all nursing staff following a financial review by Fraser Health.
“We are going to make an announcement today to continue our contract-out process,” said Ricky Kwan, executive director of the George Derby Care Society. “After all this time, unfortunately there’s no viable offers or options, so we have no choice but to go through the contract-out process, and we will be bringing in a new contract.”
The centre first issued layoff notices to more than 50 nurses in early May, citing financial problems. At the time, Kwan said if he could get $1 million in extra funding from Fraser Health he would reverse the contracting-out process, but the health authority did its own review and found George Derby was receiving an adequate amount of funding.
“The review found they are appropriately funded,” said Tasleem Juma, spokesperson for Fraser Health. “If we compare them to other organizations that are expected to provide the same level of care, they are getting the same amount of money.”
Fraser Health gives the centre $17 million per year to cover care costs for both civilians and veterans. Fraser Health is not offering any additional funding to help George Derby, but the audit found the centre was paying too much for its food and laundry services and suggested that was an area to consider cutting costs. According to Fraser Health, one of the main contributing factors to George Derby’s financial demise was a lack of planning to prepare for funding reductions from Veterans Affairs Canada despite advance notice dating back several years. Veterans Affairs used to give the centre a chunk of funding to cover special care and programs for veterans, and some civilian residents were lumped into those specially funded programs. But that funding changed to a per capita model as the number of veterans decreased and more civilians moved into the centre.
According to a June 22 George Derby memo sent to residents and family members, Pro Vita Care Management will take over the nursing contract. The new registered nurses will start on July 12, and the new licensed practical nurses will start on Nov. 9.
Paul Ballinger, head of the centre's family council, was angered by the news.
“I am furious at the board of directors' decision. The repeated disrespect of the Fraser Health review (and) lack of information to family representatives are deplorable. The refusal of the board to let family members join their secretive tax-exempt care society must not be tolerated any longer,” he said via email from overseas. “I challenge the board members of the George Derby Secret Care Society to appear before the family council to justify and explain their decision and process.”
George Derby's bylaws prohibit residents' family members from joining the society that oversees the care centre's operations.
The nurses’ jobs are protected by a provincewide contract, so Fraser Health will have to find them work elsewhere. Some nurses have been working at the seniors’ home for decades. If any want to continue working at George Derby, they will likely have to leave the union and take a pay cut.
Gayle Duteil, president of the B.C. Nurses’ Union, said both Fraser Health and George Derby were pointing fingers.
“I think it’s shameful because the end result is the seniors and veterans in their care are the pawns. They will be the ones most affected by this issue. I think it’s disgraceful. These are people who have paid taxes all of their lives and they are entitled to quality nursing care,” she said.
Duteil said the nurses aren’t concerned about their jobs, since Fraser Health will find them new ones, but they are concerned about the seniors they’re leaving behind.
“These nurses have been caring for these residents, some of them for as long as 26 years,” Duteil said, adding a “revolving door of care” under a new contractor is not good for residents and seniors’ care.
“It’s really quite awful that this is ongoing. We’re continuing our discussion with Fraser Health and more will be forthcoming,” she said.
When asked what, specifically, was forthcoming, Duteil did not reveal details but replied, “I made it clear that George Derby was a line in the sand with respect to seniors care, and it remains that,” she said.
