Staff shortages at the Golden Plough cost taxpayers nearly $2 million for private help

Construction of the new Golden Plough facility. Photo credit: Dan Jones CFWN, Local Journalism Initiative.

Staffing shortages at the Golden Plough Lodge, and the necessity to fill them from private agencies, cost county taxpayers $1.9-million between 2022 and 2024.

GPL Administrator Alanna Clark shared the news at December's meeting of the Northumberland County council Community Health Committee, discussing the special difficulties the 151-bed facility presents for its staff.

“Generally these residents are elderly and require a high degree of physical care, or they are living with diseases like Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia and they require constant care,” Clark said.

Factors in the high staff turnover include heavy regulation, lower salaries compared to other facilities and demanding working conditions. The result is difficulty recruiting and retaining skilled staff.

Exacerbating the situation is the provincial government's requirement of four hours of care daily per patient and the move next year to a larger facility with 180 beds instead of 151.

Through a collaborative purchasing group that would utilize different agencies, she added, they hope for more reasonable costs ahead, with the transition to begin as early as mid-month.

Given the option to go for a 20-year debenture on the Golden Plough Lodge build instead of 25 years, Northumberland County council's Finance and Audit Committee are going for the shorter term – payments may be higher but, over the five-year-shorter life of the debenture, there are an estimated $15-million savings on interest.

The debenture covers the original $96.7-million estimated cost, though since then there have been $16.5-million in costs for a variety of reasons.

This amount will be tackled at the Dec. 18 regular county council meeting, where Nitsch recommends taking it on as a new debt, digging into reserves, or a combination of the two.