Debates of February 6, 2006 (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. It gets back to my Member’s statement earlier today where I questioned how the Government of the Northwest Territories is recruiting nurses to work specifically at Stanton hospital. How many locum nurses is the territory bringing in to work in our hospitals? The second part to that question is, at what cost, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Return To Question 338-15(4): Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Of Nurses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we bring in locum nurses on an as-required basis with the various authorities in the different facilities. I can indicate to the Member that the largest amount or use of locum nurses is in the Inuvik region, followed by the Sahtu. We do pay a very stiff premium. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 338-15(4): Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Of Nurses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I didn’t hear the Minister mention how many nurses are we talking and at what price. I want a specific price from the Minister on what it is costing the government to bring in locum nurses here in the Northwest Territories. I also want to know if the Minister has a strategy to try to mitigate the amount of money that we are spending on bringing nurses into this territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 338-15(4): Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Of Nurses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we spend in the neighbourhood of $1 million a year on agency nurses. We do have plans to mitigate that. We have invested millions of dollars in the Northern Nursing Program at the Aurora College. We have been in a state of transition for the last 18 months. This coming spring, we anticipate, are planning, and are very glad to see about 24 nurse graduates that are going to be graduating with their four-year degree and nursing certification that we are going to be making job offers to. As well, we are looking seriously at ways to set up permanent float pools in Yellowknife, the Inuvik region and possibly the Sahtu where we would have nurses whose job it is to go and cover off and rotate through with the employees of the various authorities, but that would be in the North where we wouldn’t have to pay that very dear fee that we feed to the agencies right now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 338-15(4): Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Of Nurses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be interested in knowing if that $1 million went directly to the agency, or if it actually included the wages that were paid to these nurses. That would be an interesting thing to find out. I think that $1 million probably went directly to the agency. I would like to finally ask the Minister, does he see a correlation between the amalgamation of human resources and the inability in his health care system to get nurses on the ground and working here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 338-15(4): Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Of Nurses

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In fact, we anticipate, and we are starting to see, an improvement in our HR services now that we are consolidating, being more efficient and coordinating our efforts. The problems with nurses have long preceded the fact that we have consolidated HR. We continue to struggle nationally and internationally with a shortage of nurses. We have spent millions, as I have said, beefing up and coming up with a very good nursing program in the Northwest Territories. As well, we are also going to be developing an improved program for licensed practical nurses which will allow them to improve their scope of practice and bring in the two-year certificate program where they will be able to provide more support on the floor, two nurses in homecare and dialysis on the wards to help us offset and take off some of the pressures that are currently there on the nurses. Thank you.