The new minister of social development is still getting his feet wet in the department but he has been reading the new long-term care report.
Bruce Fitch says he’s a bit surprised the nurses union would release the study in the middle of a pandemic.
“Of 4,800 people in nursing homes in the province of New Brunswick, many, many people are getting excellent care, day in and day out. I hope this report doesn’t take anything away from that,” he says.
Fitch says he can find common ground with some of the report’s 38 recommendations.
“Some of the recommendations, I mean we can agree with some. When it talks about federal transfer payments to reflect the age of New Brunswick. We are an older population and getting older every day,” Fitch says.
He has asked department staff to meet with the unions and the report’s author to gain a better understanding.
“Making sure that the seniors get the right care at the right time is something that I have been saying for years. That is hopefully where we can end up,” he says.
Fitch says holding a provincial inquiry in the middle of a pandemic is not prudent.
He adds there are multiple issues of concern right now surrounding long-term care amid COVID-19.
