Prioritizing hospital patients for long-term care placements ends at four N.B. hospitals

The waitlist for nursing home beds is an ongoing problem for hundreds of New Brunswickers.

The prioritization of hospital patients into long-term care placements to free-up hospital beds has ended at four New Brunswick hospitals.

The process, which sees alternate-level-of-care patients in hospital jump the long-term care line, was temporarily in place for Miramichi, Moncton City, Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont, Saint John and Fredericton regional hospitals.

Only Fredericton’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital remains under the prioritization process.

Now, those hospital patients will return to their original placement on the list, according to the Department of Social Development.

“When the prioritization period ends, nursing homes return to the regular, province-wide admission process. Under that process, individuals are selected chronologically, based on the date they were approved for nursing home placement by the Department of Social Development,” said Ariel Mackenzie, a communications officer with the Department.

There were 490 people waiting in hospital for a nursing home bed as of Oct. 31, according to the Coalition of Seniors’.

Malcolm Jones has spent over 15 months waiting at the Saint John Regional Hospital.

His cousin and power-of-attorney had to get his documentation in order before he could even be added to the list. Karen Wilson says she’s been told it could be six to eight months before he gets a nursing home placement.

“What about all those other people out there like him who have nobody, maybe no siblings or parents are already past. They’re literally laying in a hospital bed waiting to die,” she said in an interview with CTV News.

The department says the current average wait time for a nursing home bed in the Saint John region is 125 days.

Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton says the prioritization strategy is problematic.

“I have heard from people who are in more rural hospitals, not in the regional hospitals, who were about to get into a nursing home, who’ve been in the hospital for a long time, who are not getting the care they need, and were suddenly bumped down the list and told that you’re going to have to wait months, at least, now,” she said.

The minister responsible for seniors says the province recognizes the issue, but that it didn’t happen overnight.

“It’s a very complex situation like I said but we’re working very hard with all our partners and all of our departments to make sure we find a solution,” said Lyne Chantal Boudreau.

CTV News asked to speak to social development minister Cindy Miles, who’s department is responsible for the prioritization process, but she was not made available.

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