Beyond $50M in bonuses, more can be done to recruit and retain health-care workers, says nurses union

Government incentives and financial bonuses have to go further to tackle the health-care worker shortage in Newfoundland and Labrador, says the province's nurses' union president.

Last week, Auditor General Denise Hanrahan released her latest report on provincial spending and found $50 million has been used as incentives to recruit and retain health-care workers between April 2022 and October 2024. Hanrahan said the incentive programs for physicians and nurses seemed to have a positive impact in the early assessment period.

Nurses' union President Yvette Coffey told CBC News it's money well spent, but it doesn't go far enough for nurses, adding incentive programs need to become permanent.

"We need to increase their compensation so that they are being compensated for the work that they are providing and the care they're providing to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador," Coffey said.

Long-standing problems in the workplace are still negatively impacting nurse retention numbers. Coffey says violence in the workplace and flexible scheduling are still top challenges to sort out.

But there are other retention tools other than bonuses. Coffey says the province should bring in is better pay for nurses working locum positions in rural areas.

"If a physician is going and doing a locum, they're getting paid two to three times the amount a nurse practitioner is getting and they're doing the same job at that time," she said.

The union has been asking the provincial government to expand the Labrador travel locum throughout the province.

"But if we want to incentivize nurse practitioners into primary health care, we need to give them the autonomy they need. We need to allow nurse practitioner-led clinics and we need to compensate them for the work they do," Coffey said.

In Hanrahan's report, she wrote that while the nursing workforce increased, the vacancy rate has also increased over the past five years.

Need a plan: Wakeham

PC Leader Tony Wakeham says there are approximately 160,000 people in the province without a family physician.

"These are the things that impact the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, and that's why it's so important for government to make sure that they have a plan in place," said Wakeham.

He says government should have a human resource plan in place to recruit medical staff and people should be able to bill the government when they see a nurse practitioner.

"I have talked about the need to get into the classrooms. When people are accepted into health-care programs, we need to start recruiting them on their way into their programs, not on their way out," Wakeham said.

"That's what needs to happen. It's called human resource planning. It's called having a plan, which this Liberal government does not have."

Health Minister John Hogan has stepped away from the portfolio while he considers a run for Liberal leadership.

Wakeham said he was surprised by the move.

"It's very important that we have stability at a time in our province when there are so many issues impacting the province of Newfoundland and Labrador," he said.

"It requires strong leadership and health care requires action. And it requires a plan, not simply turning around and reacting."

CBC News has asked Municipal and Provincial Affairs Minister John Haggie for an interview. Haggie is covering the health portfolio while Hogan comes to a leadership bid decision.

In a statement to CBC News, Department of Health and Community Service spokesperson Tina Coffey said the incentive programs have helped recruit and retain hundreds of health-care workers.

From April 2023 to August 2024, she said 146 physicians have been recruited and between April 2023 to March 2024 an additional 761 registered nurses, 349 licensed practical nurses and 23 nurse practitioners were added to the workforce.

Through international recruitment in Dubai and India, 163 registered nurses began work as for Feb. 14, she said.

"Incentives are being monitored with processes designed to ensure incentive success, ensure funds are well spent, and guide future initiatives," Coffey wrote in an email.

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