The CEO of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance says hospitals have been dealing with staffing shortages for several years and that has definitely been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“Right now, we have close to 100 staff across the HPHA who are unavailable to work due to either having COVID, awaiting test results or having a high risk exposure and that's putting even more pressure on our services," said Andrew Williams.
One example is the reduced hours at the St. Marys Memorial Hospital emergency department.
It has reduced hours until May 2nd due to a COVID-19 outberak.
But while Williams says as staff returns to bring back flexibility to the system, a long term solution to staffing shortages requires a serious discussion around what our health care system should look like.
“And then sit down with education facilities, immigration and put a plan together, do some serious capacity planning on what we need. There have been lots of announcements made about new staff, new money and all those things on their own are great, but absent of a clear human resources strategy, it'll be a challenge,” said Williams.
He suggests health care providers have to look at the system and ask themselves if they're using the people they have now in the most efficient and productive way they can for the health care professionals and for the communities they serve and then build from there.