Premier says Alberta long-term care restructuring will include 'Uber-izing' of services

Alberta's premier says the next steps in restructuing long-term care in the province will include the "Uber-izing" of services to better connect people with providers.

Jason Nixon, Alberta's minister of seniors, community and social services and new head of the province's new continuing-care agency, says his focus in the role will be to bring services into one place.

He told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday that could look like an app or website allowing seniors, families and providers to easily connect.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

"What we have really found when it comes to the continuing care sector is that there's a lot of disconnect between the health care side of it, and then both the private and the non-profit side, the social services side, it's not all connected together in one system. …," Nixon said.

"The end goal is to make this easier for both providers and for families and those who need services so that we can move people into an appropriate level of care."

Nixon said that while the details of how the new agency will operate are still being determined, he imagines the agency will be intertwined with Alberta Health Services when it comes to supporting soon-to-be discharged hospital patients.

"We would step in as the community care provider to then work to be able to find those individuals the most appropriate place to be able to establish themselves for long-term care inside the community."

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Alberta Continuing Care Association on Wednesday in Calgary, Premier Danielle Smith emphasized all providers, including private and public, are all important partners in long-term care, calling the consolidation an "Uber-izing" of services.

The new agency is expected to be operating by next spring.

Bradley Lafortune, the executive director of Public Interest Alberta, fears what this will mean for access and quality of care for seniors.

"When I hear the word 'Uber-ization,' I get really concerned about just creating more chaos in the system that just fundamentally needs more funding, more structure, more stability. That's what people are looking for," Lafortune told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.

Lafortune wants to ensure public dollars are only going to public care and wants to see the government adopt care standards to see seniors in need receive a minimum four-and-a-half hours of care every day.

In a statement, the Opposition NDP's seniors critic Lori Sigurdson said switching the ministry responsible for continuing care will have no effect on the services available to those who need it.

"These new administrative changes do not build a single new continuing care bed or offer more service for our loved ones who are stuck without options between hospital and home," she said.

Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, was also critical of the government's decision.

“Albertans don’t fall into one category when they need care – they are one person and need seamless access to all pillars of health care,” he said in a statement.

“What the system needs is adequate funding, minimum care and staffing standards, and a workforce plan."

On Tuesday, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced that Primary Care Alberta is the new organization responsible for overseeing basic forms of care such as family doctors and nurse practitioners.

Another new agency called Recovery Alberta took over the mental health and addictions portfolio from Alberta Health Services earlier this year.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski and The Canadian Press