BILL M232 – 2026
LONG TERM CARE ACCESS AND TRANSPARENCY ACT

HIS MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

Definitions

1 In this Act:

"alternate level of care patient" means a patient in a hospital who has been assessed and approved for long term care but who cannot be discharged from acute care due to the unavailability of an appropriate long term care placement;

"health authority" means a health authority as defined in the Public Health Act;

"home support" means health care services provided as part of a Home Support Services continuing care program under the Continuing Care Act;

"hospice bed" means a bed in a licensed facility or hospital unit designated for use by a patient in receipt of palliative and end-of-life care, or other designated hospice bed;

"long term care" means residential care services provided in any of the following:

(a) a community care facility that is licensed under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act;

(b) a facility within the meaning of the Continuing Care Act;

(c) a hospital within the meaning of

(i) paragraph (c) of the definition of hospital in section 1 of the Hospital Act, or

(ii) section 5 of that Act;

"patient" means a beneficiary as defined in the Medicare Protection Act;

"preferred facility" means the long term care facility identified by a patient as the patient's first choice during the placement selection process;

"reporting period" means a calendar month;

"waitlist" means the list of patients assessed and approved for long term care who, at any given time, are waiting to be admitted to long term care.

Monthly report

2 (1) A health authority must provide a monthly report to the minister respecting access to long term care within the health authority's jurisdiction, within one month after the end of the reporting period to which the report relates.

(2) A report referred to in subsection (1) must include the following information in respect of the reporting period:

(a) the total number of patients on a waitlist;

(b) the median and maximum wait times for patients on a waitlist;

(c) the number of alternate level of care patients;

(d) the number of patients admitted to long term care;

(e) the number of patients who died while on a waitlist;

(f) the number of patients who have been on a waitlist for more than 30, 60, 90 and 180 days;

(g) the number of patients admitted to a long term care facility that was not the patient's preferred facility;

(h) the number of patients currently on a transfer list awaiting placement in their preferred facility;

(i) the median and maximum length of time patients remain on a transfer list before placement in their preferred facility;

(j) the total number of hospice beds within the health authority including

(i) the number of occupied hospice beds,

(ii) the number of patients waiting for a hospice bed,

(iii) the median and maximum wait times for a hospice bed, and

(iv) the number of patients who died while waiting for a hospice bed;

(k) the number of patients receiving subsidized home support;

(l) the number of patients waiting or unable to access home support;

(m) any other prescribed information.

Publication

3 (1) The minister must prepare a monthly report containing the information provided in the preceding month by each health authority under section 2.

(2) The minister must publish the report referred to in subsection (1) on a publicly accessible website maintained by or on behalf of the minister.

Annual report

4 (1) The minister must prepare an annual report respecting access to long term care.

(2) A report referred to in this section must include the following in respect of the fiscal year to which the report relates:

(a) a summary of waitlist trends;

(b) the total number of alternate level of care patients;

(c) actions taken to improve access to long term care and reduce the number of patients on a waitlist;

(d) an assessment of current and projected long term care capacity relative to projected population growth.

(3) Upon completion of a report referred to in subsection (1), the minister must, as soon as practicable and no later than 6 months after the fiscal year to which the report relates,

(a) table the report in the Legislative Assembly if the Legislative Assembly is then sitting, or

(b) deposit the report with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly if the Legislative Assembly is not sitting.

Long term care placement plan

5 (1) The minister must develop a plan to improve timely access to long term care.

(2) The plan must include measures to reduce the number of alternate level of care patients and reduce wait times for patients to access long term care or hospice beds.

(3) The minister must

(a) develop the plan within one year after the date on which this Act comes into force, and

(b) review and prepare an updated plan at least once every year after that date.

Offence Act

6 Section 5 of the Offence Act does not apply to this Act or the regulations.

Regulations

7 (1) The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations referred to in section 41 of the Interpretation Act.

(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations as follows:

(a) designating a bed as a hospice bed;

(b) prescribing the information to be included in a report or plan referred to in this Act;

(c) defining any word or expression used but not defined in this Act.

Commencement

8 This Act comes into force by regulation of the Lieutenant Governor in Council or on a date that is 12 months after the date of Royal Assent, whichever is earlier.

Explanatory Note

This Bill requires health authorities and the minister to report on long term care waitlists and requires the minister to develop a plan to improve timely access to long term care.