Standards Revised for Home Care Assessments
The Ministry of Health recently revised the clinical standards and "best practice" guidelines for the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (RAI-HC) assessment system, which is used to assess care needs for clients in the community. The changes are the result of a collaborative effort between the BC Nurses' Union, the Ministry of Health, and provincial health employers.
"The RAI-HC standards and guidelines were updated this year to address nurses' frustration with the often cumbersome assessment tools they are required to use," says BCNU Vice President Christine Sorensen. "Our members find themselves spending too much time doing paperwork and data entry at the expense of time spent with clients." Sorensen, who oversaw the policy initiative on BCNU's behalf, notes that the new standards now require clients to be assessed within 14 days of referral.
In addition to improving clients' quality of care and care outcomes, the new standards are expected to help address the heavy workloads that nurses in home and community care settings are currently experiencing. Health authority staff and health authority owned-and-operated providers, as well as contracted service providers, must comply with the new requirements. BCNU anticipates that additional staffing will be required in order to meet the new standards. Implementation is ongoing, and health authorities are expected to fully comply no later than March 31, 2017.
The new standards and guidelines were developed over five months and saw point-of-care nurses meeting with health authority representatives to look at ways to best utilize the tools currently available to health care staff while putting client care front-and-centre.
The improved RAI-HC standards and guidelines is the first collaborative policy initiative undertaken by BCNU and the health ministry since the ratification of the 2014-2019 Nurses' Bargaining Association collective agreement. It is an example of the kind of work that can be achieved through the union's participation on the new committees, secretariats and panels that were created during contract negotiations, and which allow nurses to deliver their concerns to key decision makers.
If BCNU members are unable to meet the new standards set by the ministry, patient care will be compromised. Members are asked to file grievances, use the professional responsibility process and contact their steward if they find that employers are not providing the staffing required to comply with the new standards.
Please review the Ministry of Health's RAI-HC Clinical Standards and "Best Practice" Guidelines.