Thank you, and good morning. My name is Marlene Brown. I'm a registered nurse and the first vice-president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses.
The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses represents 7,700 registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses employed in long-term care, home care, acute care, primary care, public health, mental health, community health, and blood supply services.
SUN supports the presentation that our national organization, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, has already made to this committee. Our presentation will differ, as we will focus on what we believe must be a priority issue for the next federal budget: the urgent need for investment in a comprehensive, pan-Canadian health human resources plan.
What new information or perspectives can nurses from Saskatchewan offer this committee? A cautionary tale. The 2004 federal–provincial ten-year plan to strengthen health care committed the provinces to increase the supply of health professionals; to set targets for training, recruitment, and retention of professionals; to make those commitments public; and to regularly report on progress. Despite that commitment, Saskatchewan's health minister continues to refuse to set targets for retention and recruitment of RNs and RPNs. Here's what our minister says about targets: “Even if we put a number on it (targets for more nurses), there’s no guarantee that we would be able to meet that number in any case.” There are no targets, no public commitments, and no regular reports on progress.
Saskatchewan's continuing failure to commit to a comprehensive nursing shortage strategy has left our province extremely vulnerable. The first wave of the looming nursing shortage has hit Saskatchewan hard and much earlier than other provinces. The consequences are unfilled vacancies, short-staffed units, increased patient morbidity and mortality, more bed closures, longer waiting lists, future facility closures, and a sharply escalating cost of effective intervention as the shortage intensifies. We believe we offer an early warning sign for other provinces: follow Saskatchewan's example at your peril.
Along with our dark warning, we can also offer a sunnier and more optimistic insight: evidence that genuine commitment and well-funded, comprehensive health human resource strategies will work. For example, Saskatchewan has implemented the most comprehensive and generously funded program of physician recruitment and retention programs in Canada, producing a 15% increase in the supply of physicians in Saskatchewan between 1998 and 2005—progress which outstripped all other provinces.
Another example is to compare Saskatchewan's performance with Manitoba's, a province with similar resources and similar nursing recruitment and retention issues. In the year 2000, the Manitoba government sat down with the Manitoba Nurses' Union, nursing colleges, and employers, and crafted a five-point plan to increase the supply of nurses. The resulting 6.7% increase in their RN workforce since 2000 is a testament to real commitment, real targets, and real action.
By contrast, Saskatchewan's failure to act has produced a declining RN workforce while all other provinces except Nova Scotia have managed to produce net increases. One-third of our nursing workforce will be eligible for retirement by 2010. In addition, Saskatchewan loses one-third of our nurses to other provinces, the worst retention in Canada.
SUN believes our experience in Saskatchewan supports our recommendation that the next federal budget must bolster the federal–provincial ten-year plan to strengthen health care. The federal government can play a strong role in readying the nursing workforce for the future through a comprehensive pan-Canadian health human resource strategy that is adequately funded. Canada must ensure that funding rewards and supports commitment, specific targets, and increased numbers of nursing education seats, as well as innovation and research on health human resource retention and recruitment strategies.
Thank you.