Health workforce retention and support

Whether they’re working in a rural or remote setting, in community and primary care, in a long-term care home, in a regional health authority or in a provincial, territorial, or federal health department, members of Canada’s health workforce should feel safe, secure and empowered to do their best work every single day.

However, challenges facing healthcare workers have intensified in recent years, driven in part by the demands of the pandemic. Those responsible for delivering safe, high-quality care are experiencing stress and burnout, leading to increased turnover and critical staffing shortages. This in turn impacts the safety and quality of care received by patients, residents and clients across the care continuum in Canada.

Solutions centred on enhancing sustainable staffing levels, fostering safe and inclusive workplaces, developing flexible workplace structures and providing equitable compensation and career advancement opportunities can improve conditions for Canada’s health workforce and ensure that access to safe and high-quality healthcare is a reality for all. 

How is Healthcare Excellence Canada supporting the retention of health workers? 

Those working in Canada’s healthcare sector have proven to be creative and resourceful in the face of unprecedented challenges. Many dedicated teams, organizations and individuals are using innovative approaches to support and retain health workers. At HEC, we are committed to helping healthcare teams across Canada improve the retention of their health workers so that everyone in Canada can have full access to safe and high-quality healthcare, including by:

• Helping support and scale the impactful solutions emerging in healthcare organizations across the country
• Collaborating with the Canadian Institute for Health Information to better understand workforce retention best practices in northern, rural and remote communities
• Developing policy considerations for retaining internationally educated healthcare workers in Canada
• Working with the Canadian Medical Association to address administrative burden in healthcare through the Healthcare Unburdened Grant