BILL NO. 22
(as introduced)
2nd Session, 63rd General Assembly
Nova Scotia
67 Elizabeth II, 2018
Private Member's Bill
Care and Dignity Act
Gary Burrill
Halifax Chebucto
First Reading: September 12, 2018
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
Explanatory Note
This Bill amends the Homes for Special Care Act to require
(a) the making of nursing home resident assessments;
(b) the presence during certain hours of a staff registered nurse in a nursing home; and
(c) a minimum number of hours per resident for nursing and support services.
An Act to Amend Chapter 203
of the Revised Statutes, 1989,
the Homes for Special Care Act,
Respecting Staffing Levels
Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 This Act may be cited as the Care and Dignity Act.
2 Chapter 203 of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the Homes for Special Care Act, is amended by adding immediately after Section 6 the following Section:
- 6A (1) A licensee shall cause an assessment to be made annually of each resident in a nursing home for which the license was issued.
(2) The assessment referred to in subsection (1) must be performed by an appropriate health-care provider and that assessor shall take into account the physical, medical, psychological and other needs and personal preferences of the resident as expressed by the resident or by the resident's delegate or representative decision-maker.
3 Chapter 203 is further amended by adding immediately after Section 11 the following Sections:
- 11A (1) A licensee of a nursing home that has thirty or more beds must ensure that a staff registered nurse is present in the nursing home at all times.
(2) A licensee of a nursing home that has less than thirty beds must ensure that a staff registered nurse is present in the nursing home for a continuous period of eight hours every twenty-four hour cycle.
11B (1) Every nursing home resident must receive a minimum of four hours and six minutes of personal combined nursing and support services every twenty-four hour cycle.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), the proportion of the minimum time each day for resident personal nursing and support services referred to in subsection (1) must be
(a) no less than one hour and eighteen minutes for each resident by a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse; and
(b) no less than two hours and forty-eight minutes for each resident by continuing care assistants.
(3) The Minister may increase the total daily combined and increase the daily proportional allocation of personal resident nursing and support services provided by a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse and a continuing care assistant per resident.
(4) For greater certainty, the personal resident combined nursing and support services hours referred to in this Section are the hours of direct resident care provided by the nursing home's registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and continuing care assistants and excludes time taken by the employee for breaks, vacation, statutory holidays, leaves of absence, sick leave, other leaves, training time, care of non-nursing home residents in the same facility or other time not allocated for direct nursing home resident patient care.
4 This Act comes into force on June 1, 2019.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2018 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created September 12, 2018. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
