Thank you.
For the record, please let me thank you once again for the opportunity to speak with you today.
The intent of those of us in front of you today is to bring to your attention the concerns of the health system vis-à-vis the issues under scrutiny by this committee. We have some common messages that are supported by all who are here before you, as well as some additional messages specific to the constituents being represented.
I'm going to open this briefing with a presentation--very brief, of course--from the Health Action Lobby. And in the event that you're not familiar with HEAL, it is a coalition of 30 national health associations, including those here today in front of you.
Collectively, I must tell you, they have identified health human resources as a key priority, and for most of the members I would say the priority issue of the day. The biggest problem, however, is that we don't know enough about it, and that is why we want especially to bring it to your attention in terms of the interests of this committee. We don't have the data, the information, that we need. The limited efforts that have taken place in Canada in this area have, by and large, been uncoordinated, not connected with one another, and many of the key players, we feel--and referring here to health providers--have not really been valued as significant contributors to both understanding and solving the problem. So HEAL wants to contribute to that understanding and to finding the solutions.
We did circulate to you a document in advance, and I'm going to highlight just a couple of points from that in the event that you've not had a chance to review it with all the many materials you're receiving.
There are three broad recommendations that HEAL feels are critically important for this country to consider if we are to make a dent in the issue of health human resources.
The first is a recommendation around the establishment of an ongoing mechanism to support and promote the exchange of information and policy capacity building among national health organizations on cross-cutting health human resources policy issues and data collection. This speaks to the limitation of the current situation that I referred to a moment ago.
The second of the recommendations is a need for the establishment of a mechanism to provide for routine consultations and exchanges between national health organizations and the federal government on health human resources policy and related issues. It simply isn't happening to the sufficient levels that we need.
And the third of these critical recommendations that HEAL has made calls for the establishment of a fact-finding task force to carry out a rapid assessment of the trends, the prospects, the key issues of the various health disciplines, and this includes the capacity of the educational infrastructure to absorb increased enrolment at both the entry or undergraduate levels and post-graduate levels as well as the availability of practicum opportunities.
HEAL has gone further in its work to bring some concrete contributions to this discussion, and that is all contained in the report you've received. We feel that there are three themes that must guide this country's approach to a healthy, vibrant, and effective health workforce: patient-centred care, planning, and the career life cycle. Moreover, we've agreed on 10 key principles that must underpin these three themes. Again, you've been provided with the detailed information, but I would like to make brief reference to three of these principles.
The first is the number one principle in the document. It refers to needs-based planning--population needs-based planning. In this country we've focused on the supply side of the equation, the number of personnel or equipment that is needed. However, today we must look at things differently. Planners must adopt a needs-based approach, which is not looking at costs but rather investments to the health system. It should anticipate the current and emerging health service needs of the populations that are determined by demographic, epidemiological, cultural, and geographic factors and that take into account the evolving delivery models and technological change. There is, of course, also that very important interface between the publicly funded health system, the private health system, and the public health system.
We cite four strategic directions that we feel can contribute to advancing this particular issue. We need an in-depth analysis of population surveys and epidemiological data--there is some out there, but it needs to be used and we need more--benchmarking based on regional variations, a review of the specialty mix within and between disciples, and the development of leadership for system change.
The second principle I want to cite briefly refers to a need for inclusive policy planning and decision-making processes and it supports the comments I've just made.
Policy planning and decision-making in the area of health human resources must include representation from all stakeholders involved. Yes, with governments, but also regional health authorities, educational and regulatory authorities, and of course practising professionals. The strategic directions we suggest that might support that include the establishment of some kind of a Canadian coordinating office for health human resources, distinct and at arm's length from the government, bringing neutrality and objectivity to the issue.
We recommend the provision of exchanges between the provider community and the FPT, federal-provincial-territorial advisory committees. We also recommend the promotion of provider representation at regional and institutional governance bodies. Finally, we recommend the promotion of inter-sectoral discussions on healthy public policy.
The final note I'd like to bring to your attention before passing on to my colleagues is a call for healthy workplaces. We speak especially in the healthy workforce of the difficulty of recruiting and retaining people, of worker morale. It is a difficult field to attract people to despite the advancements that have been made in the last couple of years. Health care administrators and decision-makers must recognize the importance of healthy workplaces and collaborate with health care providers to implement strategies to support their health and safety.
We do recommend the need for some best practice approaches, educational programs, and the need to promote a cultural shift to encourage help-seeking behaviours among health professionals themselves.
I know you'll have many questions, but at this point I will end my comments and turn to my colleagues from the Canadian Pharmacists Association for the next presentation.
Thank you. Merci.