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Long-term care is overwhelmed with professional practice concerns, staffing deficits, and excessive workloads that prevent registered nurses from providing the appropriate resident care as directed by legislation, regulations, regulatory bodies, professional, and organizational requirements.
Residents deserve the same quality and quantity of healthcare services and care as any other patient within our healthcare system.
While the provincial regulations and guidelines do not stipulate that SUN members be present, a registered nurse must be available, knowledgeable, and able to intervene to fulfill registered nursing obligations for residents 24 hours/day.
Members must utilize the Nursing Advisory Process and Work Situation Reports to address professional practice barriers, deficient staffing, and workload concerns, to fulfill resident care needs. This supports regulatory and organizational obligations for safe, competent, ethical, and high-quality registered nursing practice.
What Members Need to Know About Long Term Care:
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All registered nurses, regardless of position, role, practice setting, or domain of practice, must demonstrate minimum expected performance aligned with regulatory CRNS and CRPNS standards, competencies, indicators, and code of ethics.
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Your Employer is required to meet minimum provincial requirements outlined in The Facility Designation Regulations, Special-care Homes Regulations, 2024, and the Program Guidelines for Special-care Homes, and adjust staffing to meet resident care needs.
Minimum Nurse Staffing Requirements:
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Nursing care is provided by or under the direction of a registered nurse
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Minimum 1 full-time registered nurse is employed by the facility
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Nursing care is provided by a registered nurse on a 24-hour basis
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minimum 8 hours a day, 5 days per week, on-site registered nurses
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registered nurse on call when not present (i.e.: 16 hours/day)
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Identify the registered nurse responsible (in-scope or out-of-scope) for coordination of nursing care, assignment, supervision, and providing resident care.
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If there is no registered nurse on-site or on standby, SUN members should contact the responsible Out-of-Scope registered nurse who will be assuming responsibility for the unit/facility if a registered nurse is needed.
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Complete Work Situation Reports when professional practice, staffing, and workload concerns affecting resident care are unresolved with your Manager/designate in real-time.
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When in doubt, consult with authoritative sources for assistance in navigating actual or potential professional practice, staffing, and workload concerns:
Whom to Contact
Local President/NAC Chairperson: Your Local President and NAC Chairperson are experts on your collective agreement and professional practice work environment.
Nurse Practice Officer: Your NPO at SUN Provincial is your professional practice expert assigned to Locals for support, advice, and assistance.
Regulatory Body: Your regulatory body (CRNS/CRPNS) is the regulatory expert mandated to protect the public. They can help interpret and apply minimum requirements and best practices in registered nursing practice.
Canadian Nurses Protective Society: Your regulatory body provides you with professional liability insurance through the Canadian Nurses Protective Society. You can obtain confidential legal advice, review their publications on topics impacting professional practice, and complete continuing education through their monthly webinars.
Nurse Practice Officer servicing assignments can be found on the SUN website, or you can contact one of the SUN Provincial offices at:
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