Canadian long-term residential care staff recommendations for pandemic preparedness and workforce mental health

Context: The impacts of Covid-19 pandemic conditions in Canada’s long-term residential care (LTRC) sector have demonstrated that future pandemic preparedness necessitates not only recovery but deeper sectoral transformation of longstanding vulnerabilities. Improving workforce mental health and resilience is central to these transformative efforts. Objective: This study presents a content analysis of staff recommendations for pandemic preparedness and employee mental health in LTRC. Methods: Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews conducted with 50 LTRC staff members from 12 organizations. The interviews aimed to gain insights into supporting worker mental health in the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Participant responses to a question seeking recommendations for future pandemic preparedness were extracted and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings: Our findings encompass staff recommendations organized into seven categories: 1) Risk reduction and compensation, 2) Staffing reappraisal, 3) Opportunities for relief, 4) Spaces to be heard, 5) Improved communication, 6) Cultivating responsive leadership, and 7) Redefining public accountability. Limitations: The data primarily relied on interviews with LTRC workers from western Canada. Implications: Recommendations are situated within existing policy and research for worker mental health and staffing. We discuss how supporting and listening to LTRC workers can strengthen pandemic preparedness, workforce mental health, and delivery of quality person-centered care. We position the increased presence of worker voices in knowledge generation and policymaking as vital for realizing the sectoral transformations needed in LTRC.