A lighter administrative burden for workers providing home care | Measures look promising if the right conditions are in place

October 20, 2023

Longueuil – The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) welcomes the announcement by Sonia Bélanger, minister responsible for seniors, regarding the implementation of a project to reduce the burden of administrative tasks assigned to some of the employees who provide home support services.

“At first sight, this initiative looks like a major step towards recognizing the expertise and professional judgment of our members. These are people who work tirelessly to provide home care and support services to seniors and others,” said APTS president Robert Comeau. “The APTS has been saying for a long time that their administrative duties should be reduced. We welcome the government’s decision to give concrete form through this project to proposals to act against work overload that are important to workers, and we think this will show that access to services can be improved when the government listens to what workers have to say about improving the organization of work.”

Interviewed by La Presse, minister Bélanger indicated that the measures will first apply to employees in the psychosocial sector, then to occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and nursing care personnel. The APTS views the announcement as a promising first step and hopes that this new approach will quickly spread to other sectors in the health and social services system, in cooperation with workers active on the ground.

Winning conditions are needed

In order for the project to produce the expected results, the APTS notes that a number of conditions will have to be in place. With current levels of work overload, it will be important to make sure the project does not add pressure on workers to take charge of more service users. Their professional judgment must be trusted as they determine how many cases they can handle efficiently and in human terms.

Employees must also have enough leeway to carry out indirect tasks, such as making notes in case files, that do not involve direct contact with service users. Managers will need to be given clear directives to avoid any interpretation that would contradict initial objectives to reduce employees’ work overload.

Improving APTS members’ conditions of exercise, as well as the accessibility and quality of services provided by the public health and social services system, is one of the chief reasons for the existence of the APTS, and it will be closely monitoring the project to reduce administrative tasks as it is carried out.

The APTS

The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) represents more than 65,000 members who play a key role in ensuring that health and social services institutions run smoothly. Our members provide a wide range of services for all Quebecers, including diagnostic, rehabilitation, nutrition, psychosocial intervention, clinical support, and prevention services.