Adult Residential Facility (ARF) Liaison

The Enhanced Clinical Services in Special Care Homes Pilot Project was implemented in New Brunswick to provide clinical support services and enhance collaboration around residents’ care needs in Special Care Homes (SCHs). This pilot project introduced Extra-Mural Program (EMP) Community Liaison Nurses (CLNs) into SCHs through a newly established unit within the EMP called the Special Care Home Unit. By providing clinical expertise within this new unit, the project aimed to enhance support for senior’s aging in place and ensure timely access to care. The major roles and responsibilities of the CLNs included (1) assessing patient needs and appropriateness of admission to EMP, (2) facilitating the admission of residents to the local EMP unit as needed, (3) developing clinical care plans for residents, (4) leading patient care conferences, (5) communicating regularly with the SCH, and (6) providing education to SCH staff and care team members. The pilot project was evaluated across 16 SCHs to assess the impact of the CLNs and inform potential scale-up of this service in New Brunswick. The main aim of the evaluation was to assess whether the new enhanced clinical EMP role (1) strengthened coordination, effectiveness, and timeliness of resident care and collaboration among team members, (2) improved SCH residents’ satisfaction with the care they were provided and (3) reduced unplanned or preventable health system use, including ER visits and hospitalization. Participants in the evaluation included 5 CLNs, 47 SCH staff, 26 SCH care team members, and 204 SCH residents.

• Overall, the CLN program showed several positive benefits for the SCH residents health/well-being and their experience at the SCH.
• Since the introduction of the CLN into SCHs, SCH staff and care team members believed that the coordination, effectiveness, and timeliness of resident care and collaboration among team members had improved.
• SCH residents were satisfied with the care provided by the staff and the way their health care needs were addressed.
• CLNs found their role to be beneficial to SCH residents and staff, and the SCH staff were particularly satisfied with the training and education they received from the CLNs.

• Provide SCH staff with more formal/structured training opportunities from CLNs to help them better respond to the healthcare needs of residents.
• Facilitate greater collaboration between CLNs and EMP.
• Increase the frequency/duration of CLN visits in SCHs.
• Add more staff/resources to SCHs to help with administrative tasks associated with the CLN role.
• Continue to integrate processes that facilitate communication/collaboration between SCH staff, care team members, and the CLN.

To learn more read the complete project findings (PDF 134 KB)