Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what her department is doing to improve staff morale and prioritize retention strategies for current frontline nursing staff? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Sorry, I didn't get the question, Mr. Speaker. If he could repeat it.
Thank you. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. What is the department doing to improve staff morale and prioritize retention strategies for current frontline nursing staff? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that this question came up in the last sitting, and there's things that the department is doing. I know within the NTHSSA, you know, they're doing a lot of communicating with the staff. The level of the communication that is required, I am not familiar of where they are and what is needed and so but then the other areas, you know, they've run a lot of different areas where they could support the morale and even to get staff in. I have a whole list of all of that stuff. I've said it in the House before, but I'd have to get back to the Member with all the other information. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that's useful to get that information. I left it open ended to see what we'd get back, but I think the nurses need to know what's going on. So will the Minister commit to an investigation, that her office will head up, into staffing conditions at Stanton and throughout the health system and provide an avenue for frontline workers to express their concerns and see some resolution about those concerns? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every single time I meet with my DM or with the CEOs of the health authorities or the chair, the constant conversation is how are we supporting our staff. And so one of the things that, you know, I hear, you know, that they're not seeing their managers enough. The managers, you know, are tied up doing a lot of the stuff that they need to be doing with hiring and all of this other stuff. And so, you know, I think one of the things that I would like to do is, you know, the Member has invited me to a constituency meeting, you know, and, you know, I think as well as to hear from the Member exactly you know, we hear over and over different areas what the concerns are, and I bring this back to the department. The department, you know, NTHSSA, we go back and forth. And so every time an issue is brought forward to me, I bring it to NTHSSA. So I think this is you know, I can sit down with the Member and go over some of the things that he's hearing, and then I can bring those back to the attention and see if they can be resolved. So I'm willing to work with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that would be appreciated. So can the Minister commit to attending a town hall that we can facilitate with nurses in my riding or throughout anyone who wants to attend, so she could speak to them directly and answer their concerns? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I commit to is if he invites me to a constituency meeting, I can attend a constituency meeting, as we do as Ministers who any Members that request one. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate that. Mr. Speaker, transparency around this is important as well. And I think proactive communication of wait times, daily number of patient visits, gridlock, status of flight availability, all those things need to be made available to frontline workers as well so they know what they're going into on a given day. So can the Minister work with the authority to ensure that staff are to be given more information about their working conditions before they start off on a shift? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I hear the Member, and I know what the nurses get when they come onto shift. As a past nurse, I got shift report. The focus of the frontline nurse is to take care of their patients. You know, but they also need to know what the bigger picture is and that is what my understanding of the weekly emails and the manager's emails that are going to the staff, and if there's more information that they're requiring to do their job to take care of the frontline you know, to take care of the residents, you know, I'm always willing to bring that feedback back. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
