Have your say: The Standards Council of Canada tackles long-term care

April 12, 2021
Speak up for long-term care standards.
Make your voice heard! Health Standards Organization (HSO) wants to know your thoughts about national standards for long-term care in Canada.
 

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC), Health Standards Organization (HSO), and Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) are collaborating to develop two new complementary national standards for long-term care (LTC) that will be shaped by the needs of residents, families and Canada’s LTC workforce and they need your input.

To guide the development of these standards, these organizations are looking for partners and collaborators – including you.

The new standard CAN/HSO 21001:2022 – Long-Term Care Services (HSO national long-term care services standard) will be developed as a national standard of Canada and will be used as part of future long-term care accreditation programs across Canada.

This project is an update of the current national long-term care services standard accreditation which was last updated in 2020.

Optional industry accreditation is a long way from what Federal Retirees has been calling for: national standards for long-term care tied to funding.

But this process may contribute to the implementation of regulated and legislated national standards for long-term care homes and home care, and stricter self-regulation may be a step toward better care for all Canadians in long-term care homes.  

If you are interested in contributing to the development of Canada’s national long-term care services standard or if you know someone who would be interested in participating in such a process, here is your chance – but you only have until April 14, 2021. 

There are two ways you can be heard:

  • Complete a short questionnaire (15-30 minutes) to share your personal input. You can also share the questionnaire with other people who might be interested in providing their input about long-term care services standards. To complete the questionnaire, visit the HSO survey online. 
  • Apply or nominate someone to be a part of HSO’s national long-term care services standard technical committee. Technical committees allow health system providers, policy makers, patients, community members and families to get actively involved in HSO’s global standards development process. To apply to the HSO technical committee, refer to the online job poster.

For more information about the project, visit the HSO long-term care standards website.