Patients will experience improved care and nurses will experience a stronger health-care system as the Province and BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU) have now established nurse-to-patient ratios for the majority of hospital settings.
A new recruitment strategy, along with expanded education opportunities and supports for nurses, will enable the implementation of ratios and make B.C. a leader in Canada in terms of places to practise as a nurse.
“Nurses in B.C. do an incredible job taking care of us in our time of need – whether in the community, a hospital or in a care home,” said Premier David Eby. “Setting a minimum nurse staffing standard means more time to deliver the life-saving care. This is one of the actions we’re taking to recruit and retain nurses with better pay, safer working conditions and more training opportunities.”
New nurse-to-patient ratios have been determined for more hospital settings, such as in emergency departments, neo-natal intensive care units (NICU), post-anaesthesia care units (PACU), maternity units, operating rooms and alternative level of care areas. Implementation of these additional ratios will begin in fall 2024. Planning is underway to establish ratios in long-term care, assisted living and other health-authority-operated community settings. The full suite of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, including the ones announced in March 2024, will be implemented over a four-year period, with the target of hiring more than 8,000 nurses.
“Nurses are essential to the health-care system, and we have worked diligently to address deficiencies in their workplace and improve retention,” said Adrian Dix, B.C. Minister of Health. “Earlier this year, we became the first province in Canada to establish minimum nurse-to-patient ratios and have made significant progress. Now, with ratios for the majority of hospital settings agreed upon with the BCNU, we have a firm commitment to work together to deliver ratios over the next four years, fortified by new recruitment programs for workplaces that benefit both nurses and patients.”
As previously indicated, over the coming year, B.C. will have funding of $300 million to build out the nursing workforce. Additionally, the Province is taking actions in the following ways immediately:
- BC Health Careers recently launched an international recruitment campaign targeting internationally educated nurses. This includes a first-of-its-kind integrated BC Health Careers Roadshow in the U.K., with similar events to come.
- Nurses accepting positions in high-needs areas, starting with emergency departments will receive as much as $25,000 as a recruitment incentive.
- In addition, there is $100 million, allocated from the 2023-24 minimum nurse-to-patient ratio budget, which will support retention and professional development for nurses, with an early focus on emergency departments in Year 1. This is part of the Province’s wider commitment to refresh and expand educational programs for nurses to more easily access practice opportunities in complex care environments. A key area of focus is emergency departments, recognizing the challenges the Province is currently facing.
- Expanding GoHealthBC nursing, the Province’s public travel nurses program, to reduce reliance on agency nursing and overtime, with an early focus on recruiting ER-qualified nurses to prevent emergency department closures.
- The BCNU and Ministry of Health will also work together to create resources, beginning with emergency departments, to implement flexible scheduling as part of establishing collaborative and healthy workplaces.
“Today’s announcement is yet another milestone toward achieving minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in B.C. and represents an unprecedented collaboration between nursing leaders within the Ministry of Health, health authorities and the BC Nurses’ Union,” said Adriane Gear, president, BC Nurses’ Union. “Ratios will improve the quality of patient care and conditions of work. Determining the ratios could not have been done without the feedback provided by thousands of nurses, who are dedicated to improving the experience of both patients and their fellow nurse colleagues.”
Funding for the nurse-to-patient ratios is supported by the Province allocating funding from the Working Together bilateral agreement.
This work also builds on the 602 new nurse training seats announced in 2022, which brings the total number of nursing seats in B.C. to more than 2,700. Investing in the retention and recruitment of nurses is part of B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy. The strategy advances 70 actions to retain, recruit and train health-care workers in B.C. while supporting innovative health-system redesign and optimization.
Quotes:
Jim Gould, interim CEO, BC Nurses’ Union –
“Ratios have been proven to transform the delivery of patient care in other parts of the world and it is exciting to know that B.C. is the first province in Canada to implement this as a staffing solution. This is a critical policy decision that nurses have been advocating for and we applaud the government for advancing this work in consultation with the nurses of B.C.”
Mark Holland, federal Minister of Health –
“Ensuring we have enough nurses to take care of patients is critical, not only for the safety and well-being of patients, but for the health and welfare of nurses themselves. Through the Working Together agreement with B.C., federal investments will improve nurse-to-patient ratios, aid the recruitment and retention of nurses, and improve the delivery of care. This is an important milestone for B.C. and will ensure a more supportive environment for nurses provincewide”
Quick Facts:
- Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios can improve patient safety and hospital stay lengths.
- Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios represent the minimum number of nurses deemed necessary to care for a maximum number of patients on a unit.
- The new ratios are the first of their kind in Canada and anchor the delivery of patient care to a simple, clear formula that transparently indicates nurse staffing requirements throughout the province.
- Implementation of ratios has been demonstrated to decrease nurse occupational injuries, return nurses to the bedside and significantly reduce nurse turnover and vacancy rates. This means nurses will be able to spend more time with their patients.
- B.C. is welcoming more nurses faster than other provinces. There have been 14,212 new nurses registered since January 2023, bringing the total nurses registered (in all categories) to 72,082 – the second fastest overall nursing workforce growth in Canada. This includes 1,319 internationally educated nurses (IENs) who have received full or provisional registration, with an additional 1,624 IENs who have been referred to receive additional training for which they can also access bursaries.
