BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
Manitoba’s home-care system, once considered a national model, has been weakened by years of policy shifts, under-resourcing, staffing shortages and poorly executed reforms, according to a new report released Thursday by the Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU). But the provincial government says many of the problems highlighted in the report stem from decisions made years ago and insists efforts to rebuild and stabilize home care are already showing results.
The 62-page research paper, Taking the Care Out of Home Care: Decisions that Have Dismantled Manitoba’s Home Care System, draws on Freedom of Information data, interviews, and first-hand accounts from nurses, clients, and caregivers. It paints a picture of a program struggling under the weight of rising demand and insufficient staffing, with nurses reporting unsafe workloads, missed visits, and increasing moral distress as they try to support clients who depend on daily care.
“Home care is collapsing under the weight of years of neglect,” MNU president Darlene Jackson said. “Nurses are reporting missed visits, unsafe workloads, and rising moral distress. Manitobans who depend on this care deserve better, and so do the people providing it.”
Rising Demand, Stagnant Staffing
Data obtained through the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority shows the number of home-care clients grew 41 per cent between 2015 and 2025, while nursing hours increased just two per cent. Full-time nursing positions rose by five per cent, far short of the increase in demand.
In rural regions, the union reports nurses working alone in remote areas with weak connectivity and limited access to help during emergencies. Workload staffing reports also soared, with only 13 filed in 2024 compared to 109 by October of this year.
The report chronicles policy changes that MNU says weakened home care over the past decade, including the dissolution of specialized nursing teams beginning in 2014, the termination of the innovative Hospital Home Team in 2017, and the erosion of Rapid Response Teams during the pandemic. The union’s harshest criticism is reserved for the WRHA’s centralized scheduling rollout earlier this year—described as a “debacle” which it says resulted in thousands of unassigned visits and stranded clients.
On one July weekend, the report says, more than 4,200 unassigned visits affected 2,400 clients. Although the government later reversed the scheduling model, MNU warns that similar approaches are now being adopted in other regions without adequate consultation.
Nurses quoted in the report recount calling clients to cancel care, watching families lose confidence in home-based supports, and observing clients turn to hospitals or long-term care instead.
Union Calls for Immediate Action
The paper outlines six recommendations, including rebuilding Rapid Response Teams, expanding caregiver supports, implementing standardized reporting, investing in reliable scheduling technology and restoring boundaries around regulated scopes of practice.
“This report isn’t about blame, it’s about accountability,” Jackson said. “We can rebuild home care, but only if government and health leaders start treating this like the crisis it is.”
Province Says Decline Was Inherited, Improvements Already Showing
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara acknowledged many of the challenges identified in the report but said the “years of decline” described largely reflect decisions made by the previous government, including the elimination of the Hospital Home Teams in 2017 and layoffs within the home-care workforce.
“Home care is a vital program for seniors in Manitoba,” Asagwara said. “Cuts under the previous government…set care back, as highlighted in this report. Since we came into office we’ve committed to building up home care services.”
The minister said the province has been working with frontline staff to improve predictability and reduce cancelled visits. Early indicators, they said, show progress: cancellations dropped 43 per cent between July and September.
“We continue to staff up home care, with training for more health care aides underway now and actively hiring more nurses,” Asagwara said.
The minister also emphasized the vital role of health-care aides, saying their work, bathing, meal preparation, mobility support, and daily monitoring, forms the backbone of home care.
“One thing the report doesn’t get into…is the absolutely critical role health-care aides play,” Asagwara said. “Without health-care aides, home care simply wouldn’t function.”
Both Sides Agree on One Thing: The System Must Grow
With Manitoba’s senior population rising steadily, both the union and the province agree home care must be expanded, stabilized, and better resourced to prevent more seniors from landing in emergency rooms or long-term care.
“We need both nurses and health-care aides to deliver a strong home care program rooted in compassion and excellent clinical care,” Asagwara said. “With a growing senior population, we will need to staff up and expand home care delivery, that’s our commitment.”
Jackson, meanwhile, says the province must act urgently to stabilize the system before the impact on workers and clients worsens.
The Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) is a federally funded program to add coverage in under-covered areas or on under-covered issues. This content is created and submitted by participating publishers and is not edited. Access can also be gained by registering and logging in at: https://lji-ijl.ca
You can support trusted and verified news content like this.
FIPA’s news monitor subscribers, donors and funders help make these available to everyone rather than behind a paywall. We appreciate every contribution because it makes a difference.
If you found this article interesting and useful, please consider contributing here.
