Quebec sending long-term care patients home to free up hospital beds

The Quebec government says it is planning to send long-term patients who don't need acute medical care home to open up more hospital beds for those in immediate need.

The goal, according to the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), is to cut the number of hospital patients in the Montreal region by at least half by Nov. 5.

However, some insist the province's health care system isn't ready for this major shift to at-home medical care.

Though the idea has been talked about for years, there is still no general agreement on how to make it happen without sacrificing quality of care.

"Rather than having a plan for adequate health care, adequate visits from doctors, from family doctors, we're going to push everything down without any doctors?" laments Council for the Protection of Patients President Paul Brunet, who calls the project "last minute."

According to a 270-page document obtained by Le Devoir, the CAQ is hoping caregivers will help ease the transition by providing extra support for patients who return home as they wait for a bed in a CHSLD.

The report states that as of Aug. 25, 18 per cent of hospital beds in Montreal were occupied by people who did not necessarily need to be there.

It finds 38 per cent of those patients are simply there as they wait for a spot in a long-term care facility.

The government points out it has already poured $20 million into support for at-home medical care.

However, there are still 4,000 people on the CHSLD waitlist, and that number isn't expected to go down any time soon.

Although the CAQ has expressed interest in providing more at-home medical care involving doctors, it's not in the current plan, and the responsibility could end up falling predominantly on caregivers.

"That will not solve the situation...we're going to go like a chicken without a head to push patients back home with a risk for caregivers, with the risk of failing medical attention," Brunet argued.

He states the government needs to make up its mind and strike a deal with the doctors.