What we discovered about the long-term care homes in your community

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The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a harsh truth about Ontario’s long-term care homes: many were woefully understaffed, a factor that helped fuel the rapid spread of the deadly virus.

Doug Ford’s government promised a major overhaul, including this key goal: by the end of 2024-25, LTC homes would have enough staff that each resident would receive an average of at least four hours a day of direct “hands-on care” from nurses and personal support workers (PSWs).

As it worked toward that goal, the government crunched the numbers and regularly disclosed the provincial average. Although Ontario just missed its final target — recording an average of 3 hours and 49 minutes of hands-on care in the fourth quarter of the 2024-25 fiscal year — it exceeded the four-hour mark the following quarter.

But data on individual homes’ performance has not been made public. Until now.

The Trillium, Village Media’s bureau at Queen’s Park, obtained the internal government data via a freedom of information request. The exclusive report includes a searchable tool that anyone can use to access the data regarding their local long-term care homes.

Jessica Smith Cross, editor-in-chief of The Trillium, is our guest on tonight’s episode of Closer Look.

Along with her investigative report, we also talk about The Trillium's ongoing crowdfunding campaign related to the Ford government's Skills Development Fund (SDF). You can find out more about that project HERE and HERE.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

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