The Honourable Doug Currie, Minister of Health, today announced details of a new Health Care Recruitment and Retention Secretariat. The new Secretariat will build a coordinated and concentrated effort on health care recruitment and retention. It will also monitor and evaluate initiatives on an ongoing basis.
The Secretariat will be a five-member team and include a Director, Human Resource Planner, Health Recruiter, Physician Recruiter, and Administrative Support. There are three new positions being created adding to existing physician recruitment and health recruiter positions. The Department of Health will be consolidating and coordinating recruitment efforts. This new Secretariat will operate with existing staff and further staff will be acquired through dollars announced in the 2007/2008 budget as well as in the 2008/09 budget. The initial budget planned for this effort is approximately four million dollars.
Minister Currie says, “This announcement is a step in fulfilling government’s promise for enhanced access to health professionals. The Secretariat will report to the Deputy Minister and the Premier’s Office and provides an important government link to the health care recruitment and retention effort.”
The Secretariat will be examining current and future resource needs for the various health professions. As this work progresses, this group will develop strategic recruitment and retention efforts to ensure the right health providers work in the right locations and provide the right services at the right time.
Currently the Department of Health has a variety of recruitment initiatives. Medical Programs coordinates the Physician Recruitment and Retention Strategy. Corporate Services coordinates the Nursing Recruitment and Retention Strategy and a variety of smaller programs for allied health professions, including areas such as Medical Laboratory Technologists and Radiation Therapists.
“The Secretariat will not only cover recruitment and retention efforts for nurses and physicians but also difficult-to-recruit positions such as Ultrasonographers, Public Health professionals, Radiation Therapists, and Pharmacists,” said Minister Currie. “We recognize the void in HR planning, and recruitment and retention efforts since the restructuring of the Department of Health in 2005.”
There are additional staff supports in the recruitment effort at the various health care work sites across the province who help coordinate site visits and other activities at the community level. These supports, although not included in this Secretariat, will continue in this role. Medical Education activities will also continue in the Medical Programs Division and through the Medical Residency Program which is in development.
Minister Currie said, “Recruitment and retention of health care providers are major challenges for all jurisdictions across Canada. Having access to a health care workforce that can meet the needs of Islanders requires not only effective recruitment and retention strategies, but also an ongoing examination of how roles and scope of practice will benefit Islanders. This new Secretariat is a major step forward in addressing these needs.”