'This needs to happen now': Manitoba plans to end mandated overtime, add 2,000 health-care workers

A provincial action plan to add 2,000 workers to Manitoba’s health-care system and end mandated overtime is a step in the right direction, advocates say.

On Thursday, the province announced a new health human resource action plan which will see $200 million of new funding go towards the retention, training and recruitment of health-care staff across the province.

Health Minister Audrey Gordon announced under the plan, the province has committed to ending the mandated and excessive overtime hours nurses are required to work and has asked the CEOs of each health-care organization to make a plan to reduce the burden.

It also looks to add 2,000 health-care professionals, which will include a mix of Allied Health, nurses and support staff. To meet that target, the plan includes a number of incentives and initiatives to train, retain and recruit staff.

Gordon said the province will be offering financial incentives to encourage staff to work weekends or work in remote areas, and will reimburse licensing fees for all licensed health professionals for the next two years.

The province will also be offering incentives for physician clinics that want to expand evening and weekend hours to provide primary care services.

She said the province wants to increase safety officers in emergency departments.

Gordon said when it comes to recruitment, under the plan the province will be handing out incentives for nurses that return to the health-care system, offering reinstatement to their seniority levels and providing other incentives to make returning more attractive.

The province will work with licensing bodies to make it easier for retired nurses to return and will cover the costs of testing and remedial training for returning nurses.

'WE CAN'T HIT THE ROAD FAST ENOUGH': ADVOCATES CALL FOR QUICK ROLL OUT

Dr. Candace Bradshaw, president of Doctors Manitoba, said the organization has been calling on the province for action. She said the action plan is a sign the government is starting to act on their advice.

"We can't hit the road fast enough with this right now. The urgency with our members is critical," Bradshaw said. "This needs to happen now."

She said 50 per cent of members say they are in a high level of burnout, and 40 per cent of physician members in Manitoba have said they are planning to reduce clinical hours, retire or leave the province entirely in the next three years.

It is a concern shared by Jason Linklater, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals.

"Rural paramedics, laboratory and diagnostic imaging technologists, respiratory therapists and so many others are taking early retirement, leaving for other provinces where they can earn more or leaving health care altogether," Linklater said in a written statement. "If they really want to give the front line hope, then our members need more details and substantive action now."

Jennifer Cumpsty, the executive director of acute health services at HSC, said the pandemic has accelerated historic staffing challenges, and merely saying thank you is not enough.

"They need to have hope that things will get better, they need to have faith that we are doing all that we can to get them the reinforcements that they need. Today's announcement is a step towards providing both," she said.

"This action plan provides incentives that recognize the challenges our staff have faced, while encouraging them that there is a plan to improve our future in health-care. It also acknowledges the strain placed on staff when they are mandated to work overtime."

DETAILS AND FIGURES STILL BEING WORKED OUT, HEALTH MINISTER SAYS

Bradshaw said Doctors Manitoba still needs details from the province.

Many of those details are still being ironed out, Gordon told reporters on Thursday.

As for a timeline on when the mandated overtime will come to an end, Gordon said she is looking to the health leads to bring forward those plans.

"It may vary depending on the regional health authority, but we've all talked and everyone wants to see this end as quickly as possible," she said.

No dollar figures or timelines were identified Thursday in terms of the incentives being offered to health-care workers. But Gordon said those figures are in the works.

"We do have some rough figures. We have been talking with the union and Doctors Manitoba about figures," she said. "We just need to finalize those and once they are finalized, we will begin to roll out those dollars immediately."

Gordon said the incentives will continue for the life of the current collective agreement, which is two years. At the end of the agreement, Gordon said the province would revisit them.