More than two dozen scheduling clerks hired in effort to repair home-care system

The Manitoba government is walking back some changes to Winnipeg’s home care after a bungled rollout of a centralized system in the spring.

The province announced Monday it has hired 32 new scheduling clerks since July and has reverted to its previous way of scheduling home-care appointments for clients, which is tied to geographic areas for more stable schedules.

“There was a change that happened earlier this year … with the intentions of improving those services, and that transition did not go the way that it should have,” Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said at a news conference Monday morning.

“Too many families saw disruptions that caused frustrations and uncertainty, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

The changes will come into effect Thursday.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority centralized its home-care scheduling system in March, in an effort to improve communication, workloads and client support. The overhaul was harshly criticized by workers and resulted in thousands of cancelled client visits.

In response, Asagwara said the department formed a committee to consult on fixes for the “rushed” system changes.

“(The changes) happened far too quickly and it didn’t factor in the concerns that the front-line providers were expressing. It was very clear to us that the rollout was not going well, and so, as a government, we intervened,” the minister said.

Two home-care employees who spoke with the Free Press said the changes that came into effect in March did little to improve workflow.

“I think it’s gotten worse actually, because we’re still having seasoned (staff) leave,” said one employee, whose position is being withheld to protect their identity. “The expectations on us are rising but we’re not given more staffing.”

“It was very clear to us that the rollout was not going well, and so, as a government, we intervened.”

Another employee said a lack of aides and nurses to meet demand remains.

The cancellation rate for appointments last Sunday was nearly three per cent, down from the average weekly cancellation rate in early May of 5.59 per cent, according to preliminary internal data obtained by the Free Press. Home-care staffers make more than 16,500 visits per day in Winnipeg.

Margaret Schroeder, president of CUPE Local 204, which represents WRHA support staff, says she hopes the changes will bring more stability for staff and, in turn, aid in addressing turnover.

A spokeswoman for Asagwara said while there were recent gains in the system, there are still vacant positions that need to be filled.

Since the fall of 2023, Asagwara said the WRHA hired more than 250 net new home-care aides. A recent recruitment drive garnered 300 applicants, the spokeswoman said.

There are more than 1,100 home-care aides and 230 nurses working in the WRHA, the spokeswoman said in an email.

Vacant positions within the scheduling department remain, the number of which could not be provided by the spokeswoman by end of day Monday.

Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, said she hopes the changes will improve communication between clerk and aides.

“Because that’s how this whole system works and is successful,” Jackson said.

After the 2023 death of cancer patient Katherine Ellis, who was incorrectly classified and denied timely home care, the previous Tory government launched a review of the system.

That review produced 21 recommendations, including the shift to a centralized scheduling office.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca