Smiling healthcare worker wearing scrubs with two people in the background at home.

Focus area

People in the workforce

Making sure people in the healthcare workforce are well and supported to do their jobs is key to building a sustainable workforce. It’s also essential for ensuring everyone in Canada receives safe, high-quality care.

COVID-19 has seriously strained the health sector, including the physical and mental well-being of workers. Staff shortages threaten health systems across the country. Meanwhile, health and care providers are under pressure to address inequities in care exposed by the pandemic.

It's also true that creative and innovative approaches to tackling these challenges are emerging. Healthcare Excellence Canada is committed to engaging people in the workforce to help shape how we can improve care, so their work-life is improved too. We believe we can foster worker well-being alongside safer, high-quality care through approaches that focus on:

  • reducing on-the-job pressures for those in the healthcare workforce and improving their daily experiences
  • recognizing and addressing mental health needs among workers, particularly those working in long-term care
  • co-creating new approaches for delivering healthcare services that address the needs of everyone involved, including care providers
  • identifying opportunities to create or adapt health human resources policy 
  • working with health and care organizations to support them to engage essential care partners as members of care teams

Related Programs

Health Workforce Innovation Challenge
The Health Workforce Innovation Challenge supported teams across Canada to strengthen their workforces and deliver safer, higher-quality care. Find out what teams accomplished and how they’re helping make positive changes across health systems.
Patient Safety Essentials
A free, six module, self-directed program designed especially for healthcare providers to help you understand the core of patient safety.
Effective Governance for Quality and Patient Safety
A free, eight module, self-directed program to equip healthcare boards and leaders for excellence, focused on safe and high-quality healthcare.
Strengthening Primary Care
This program will improve access to safe, including culturally safe, high-quality team-based primary care closer to home.
Partnering on Appropriate Virtual Care
This collaborative helps primary care providers and patients determine when and how virtual care should be used in their unique settings, so that it’s appropriate and safe for all.
Reimagining LTC
Reimagining LTC supported long-term care homes to build better care with and for people living and working in long-term care.

Related Resources

Six Strategies for Strengthening the Workforce
Topic: Resources
Publication date: Nov 27, 2024
Policy Considerations for the Retention of Internationally Educated Healthcare Workers
Topic: Education
Publication date: Jul 31, 2024
TREC Breathing Toolkit
Topic: Health Human Resources
Publication date: Apr 12, 2024
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Value

Maximizing benefits for patients, families, caregivers and the health system by linking resources with outcomes that matter to patients.

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Next topic:

Value

Maximizing benefits for patients, families, caregivers and the health system by linking resources with outcomes that matter to patients.

Learn more