Mississauga – As Canada’s largest group of regulated health professionals with more than 450,000 members, nurses are critical to Canada’s health care system. However, nurses are currently facing increased workloads, high rates of burnout, stress, anxiety and depression, and, in some cases, abuse.
To help support and retain members of the nursing workforce, Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health joined Dr. Leigh Chapman, Canada’s Chief Nursing Officer at Trillium Health Partners, Credit Valley Hospital, to announce the release of the Nursing Retention Toolkit: Improving the Working Lives of Nurses in Canada to help improve the working lives of nurses. The toolkit will be shared widely throughout Canada’s health care system- including with nurses, nursing employers, and health authorities across the country.
As a resource created by nurses and for nurses, the toolkit is the result of a collaborative effort with the nursing community which shares the federal government’s commitment to improve nursing retention in Canada. The toolkit focuses on eight core themes with corresponding initiatives that nursing employers can implement to help improve retention. The eight core themes are: flexible and balanced ways of working; organizational mental health and wellness supports; professional development and mentorship; reduced administrative burden; strong management and communication; clinical governance and infrastructure; inspired leadership; and safe staffing practices.
Drawing on evidence-based practices, the lived and living experiences of point-of-care nurses, and insights from nursing professionals at all career stages, including nursing students, the toolkit provides an opportunity for employers and health authorities to work together to develop standardized programs across health care organizations and systems in Canada. This will support identifying existing initiatives that can be scaled up and spread to different organizations and jurisdictions to share best practices and support retention across Canada.
Health workers are the backbone of the health care system, and the Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories and other key partners to address health workforce challenges. Budget 2023 outlined the government’s plan to invest close to $200 billion to improve health care for Canadians, which includes support to the health workforce through retention, recruitment, and planning.
The Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces, territories and health partners to identify solutions to longstanding health workforce challenges so that nurses and other health workers across Canada can continue their critical work of keeping Canadians healthy and safe.
“Nurses play a vital role in our health care system. We need to work together to make sure that nurses in Canada’s healthcare system are supported and get more health workers into the system, faster. The Nursing Retention Toolkit will provide employers and health administrators across the country with tools to build stronger health care systems and help nurses get the supports they need.” – Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health