A long-term care worker and resident speaking with each other.

LTC Quality Improvement

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the need to enhance person-centred care and support the health and safety of the long-term care workforce.

LTC Quality Improvement supported a community of 286 long-term care homes across Canada  to implement quality improvement projects to support these objectives. This program ran from April to October 2022 and was led by Healthcare Excellence Canada, with support from  Health Quality BC (formerly the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council).

While the projects varied depending on the unique needs of each long-term care home, example projects included:

  • Implementing an employee wellness program
  • Providing training for staff, such as mental health first aid
  • Introducing person-centred care planning
  • Enhancing resident-led activities

To learn more about some of the projects, read the LTC Quality Improvement Showcase Poster Presentations.

How this program contributed to better long-term care in Canada

LTC Quality Improvement supported long-term care homes to strengthen their capacity to conduct quality improvement. Participating teams reported that they:

  • Increased their knowledge of quality improvement
  • Made their organization’s culture more conducive to quality improvement
  • Increased their organization’s adoption of long-term care best practices
  • Developed new relationships with other leaders and organizations

Teams implementing quality improvement projects focusing on person-centred care reported:

  • Strengthened relationships between staff and residents
  • Reduced falls
  • Improved resident experience and quality of life
  • Improved social engagement among residents

Teams implementing quality improvement projects  focused specifically on staff well-being reported:

  • Clearer communication
  • Effective teamwork
  • A more positive work environment
  • Improved staffing

The approach of the LTC Quality Improvement program

Participating long-term care homes received a range of supports through this program, including:

  • Seed funding of up to $15,000 per long-term care home
  • Coaching and opportunities to connect with and learn from long-term care homes across Canada working on similar projects or in similar regions
  • Training on quality improvement principles and methods
  • Access to monthly webinars featuring topics related to best practices in long-term care

HEC continues to support long-term care homes across Canada. Learn more about Reimagining LTC, our current programming to enable a healthy workforce to provide person-centred care.

Related resources

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