Note: This study focuses on residential long-term care for seniors. CRRU has featured this publication because of the strong parallels between this research and research evidence on quality and ownership in child care.
Excerpts from the press release:
The type of ownership of residential long-term care facilities for frail seniors is a determinant of the quality of care provided, according to a new study published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). The study reviews the US and Canadian research on the ownership and quality of services in these facilities, and concludes that for-profit facilities are less likely to provide quality care than nonprofit or public facilities.
"While the link between for-profit facility ownership and inferior care does not imply that all for-profit facilities provide poor care, the evidence suggests that, as a group, such facilities are less likely to provide good care than nonprofit or public facilities," writes Margaret McGregor, author of the study, "Residential Long-Term Care for Canada's Seniors: Nonprofit, For-Profit or Does it Matter?"
McGregor makes several recommendations related to funding and delivery to ensure quality of services. She suggests policies to keep the financing and delivery of new residential care capacity in the public and nonprofit sectors. Regardless of ownership, legislated minimum staffing levels should be adopted and adequate funding should be provided to support those levels. Governments and long-term care facilities should be held to account by making information publicly available on direct care staffing levels, inspection reports and other quality indicators.