Canada’s health sector has struggled to manage through workforce shortages for years, a problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These shortages undermine the ability of the healthcare system to provide timely access to high-quality care for everyone in Canada.
The toll COVID-19 is taking on healthcare workers1A crowdsourcing initiative conducted by Statistics Canada in late 2020 showed that 70 percent of the 18,000 healthcare workers surveyed reported that their mental health worsened during the pandemic is substantial and will endure long after the pandemic is over.
HealthCareCAN‘s Health Human Resources Advisory Committee (HHRAC) is working to identify key priority areas for short-term and long-term federal action that aim to address these growing workforce shortages. Such concerted action is vital to ensure the country has the health workforce it needs to deal with COVID-19, perform non-COVID medical procedures and treatments, tackle medical procedure backlogs, and provide high-quality care to those who need it.
Healthcare workers are the system’s greatest resource, and when they are well taken care of, so are Canadians.
What actions can Canada take to address health workforce shortages in both the short-and long-term?
Why must Canada address health workforce shortages in both the short-and long-term?
HealthCareCAN actions to address health workforce shortages
Eight months into the global pandemic, 33% of healthcare workers reported fair to poor mental health.
70% of health care workers reported that their mental health was “somewhat worse now” or “much worse now” compared with before March 2020.
56% of health care workers reported that most days were “quite a bit stressful” or “extremely stressful.”
Source: Statistics Canada
Demand on the health system continues to rise as Canada’s population ages and people live longer, albeit often with more complex and chronic conditions. Yet health system investments and resources have not adjusted to respond to these changes. The health system is overloaded, understaffed, under-resourced, and underfunded, resulting in a system that is unable to meet the growing and diversifying needs of people in Canada.
Implementing a pan-Canadian health workforce planning strategy will:
Leveraging immigration and internationally trained healthcare workers while increasing the number of Canadian-trained healthcare professionals will:
Supporting interprovincial/territorial coordination of education and licensing will:
Collaborating with provincial and territorial governments, regulators, and educational institutions to train more Canadian healthcare workers – particularly from Indigenous communities – in the professions and fields necessary to meet the long-term needs of the healthcare system will:
Expanding mental health and wellness research, programs, and resources specific to healthcare workers will:
Newcomers: Filling the labor shortage in a “discouraging” system - Interview with HealthCareCAN's President and CEO, Paul-Émile Cloutier (in French only)
June 10, 2022
"This budget does not effectively address what our health care system has undergone for the last two years." - HealthCareCAN president and CEO, Paul-Émile Cloutier
April 10, 2022
How HealthCareCAN is Helping to Address Critical System Challenges - A Q&A with HealthCareCAN's president & CEO, Paul-Émile Cloutier, by HIROC
April 7, 2022
New federal support to address healthcare backlogs a good step toward shoring up healthcare in Canada
March 25, 2022
NEW Podcast: The Psychological Health and Wellness of Leadership, with guest Kristen Winter, VP of HR, Workforce Optimization and Leadership at Sunnybrook Health Sciences
March 14, 2022
HealthCareCAN and Covenant Health advocate for federal action to address Canada's health human resources challenges during appearance before Standing Committee on Health.
February 16, 2022
Expanding the health-care safety net: Innovative resources for hospitals and their staff - CTV News Interview with HealthCareCAN President & CEO, Paul-Émile Cloutier
January 28, 2022
Critics stress health system capacity constraints as Trudeau speaks with premiers - Interview with HealthCareCAN
January 10, 2022
The Urgent Obligation to Stabilize Canada’s Health Care System – Article in Policy Magazine by Paul-Émile Cloutier
January 7, 2022
Fostering inclusion of healthcare providers with disabilities
Health human resources / Mental health / Year 2022
Submission to the Standing Committee on Health: Study on the Emergency Situation Facing Canadians in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Health human resources / Indigenous health / Infrastructure / Long-term care / Mental health / Research & innovation / Year 2022
Submission to the Standing Committee on Health: Study on Children’s Health
Health human resources / Infrastructure / Research & innovation / Year 2022
Submission to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities: Study on Labour Shortages, Working Conditions and the Care Economy
Health human resources / Year 2022
COVID’s Tragic Toll in Canada’s Long-Term Care Sector Must Lead to Action
Health human resources / Long-term care / Mental health / Year 2021
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