Presidents of three unions say under the province’s current social system frontline workers can’t provide appropriate care.
The leaders of CUPE 1418 (social workers), CUPE 2745 (educational support staff), and the New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Unions hosted a joint press conference on Wednesday to highlight gaps in government systems that children and seniors rely on for care.
Nursing Home Unions president Sharon Teare said the long-term care system is “stretched beyond safe limits.”
“Frontline workers keep showing up because they care, but too many leave their shifts knowing that they could not provide the care and dignity residents deserve,” she said. “Not because they lack compassion, but the system does not give enough time to support.”
The press conference builds on a joint open letter sent to the province on July 22, in which the unions showcased how the province’s “broken system” was behind the systematic failures that led to the death of “Bobby,” a youth under provincial care, and “Alice”, a senior waiting for a nursing home bed.
The unions argue in the letter that chronic staffing shortages and inadequate resources are jeopardizing care for vulnerable residents like Bobby and Alice.
Their deaths were shared in recent reports by the province’s youth and senior advocate Kelly Lamrock.
According to Lamrock’s investigation, Bobby, a 16-year-old teen, was homeless and addicted to fentanyl when he died.
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Before his death, the Department of Social Development had received more than ten calls with concerns from family, friends, police and others, but they were screened out – meaning a social worker decided not to intervene.
Alice, on the other hand, was a senior with worsening dementia, living in a special care home while she waited for a placement in a nursing home.
She was a year into waiting for the department to move her when she wandered out of her special care home for the 12th time, and died after being found unresponsive, having spent all night outside.
Presidents say frontline workers feel inadequate
President of CUPE 1418 Shawna Morton said social workers are overwhelmed by the backlog of unassessed program applications and fear that crises are being missed.
She said social workers would like to be able to meet the clients’ needs, but staff shortages and significant workload increases, led by higher rates of poverty, homelessness and food insecurity, are making their jobs more difficult.
“We feel the public should be aware that our system is in crisis and the needs are by far outweighed by what resources are in place,” Morton said.
“We know our government has made efforts in addressing the crisis, but in order for this picture to look brighter, we must make meeting the basic needs of New Brunswick’s most vulnerable a top priority.”
Both Morton and Teare said the overwhelmed system is driving away qualified social workers and nursing home staff, who often leave because they feel unable to meet clients’ needs despite their best efforts.
The unions are calling on the government to make meaningful changes to protect both vulnerable individuals and frontline workers who support them, and also to work collectively with workers to implement practical solutions.
Morton added she would like the government to do a complete workload study to understand how many social workers are needed to meet clients’ needs, as the last study was done in 1999.
On the other hand, Teare is calling for more nursing home beds and wants the province to release data on wait times between seniors’ assessments and placement in nursing homes, including how long they wait and how many incidents occur during that period.
She also notes there is no public data on how many seniors assessed by Social Development as needing nursing home care are instead waiting in special care homes.
The province has yet to respond to the unions’ concerns.
In an email statement on Thursday, Social Development Minister Cindy Miles said that the department takes the safety of New Brunswick’s vulnerable population and frontline workers who support them very seriously.
“We have received the letters from union leaders and are evaluating the concerns and suggestions they have outlined to better understand what changes are needed within our systems,” she added.
