WINNIPEG –
The Manitoba authorities is creating 9 initiatives to retain and recruit nurses, with $123 million in funding from the Well being Human Useful resource Motion Plan.
The funding was introduced by Well being Minister Audrey Gordon Friday morning.
“Nurses are an extremely valued member of the health-care workforce who present crucial companies underneath generally extraordinary pressures,” mentioned Gordon.
“We’re already starting to see constructive outcomes from these strategic investments and I need to guarantee all of Manitoba’s health-care suppliers that extra helps are on the way in which because the Well being Human Useful resource Motion Plan is rolled out.”
The brand new incentives embrace a brand new hourly premium for nurses who work weekend hours and a brand new annual fee for nurses who maintain the equal of a full-time place.
The province mentioned it could even be reimbursing the prices of nurses’ skilled licensing charges.
A number of initiatives have a look at preserving nurses working, reminiscent of an annual incentive for nurses who’re eligible to retire however select to stay within the workforce for as much as a further two years and an incentive for nurses who’ve beforehand left the career however select to return to the workforce.
A brand new refer-a-nurse program for present nurses who refer a potential nurse to a Manitoba employer may even be put in place by the Manitoba authorities.
Gordon added a provincial float pool to assist nurse staffing wants which may even be created.
The final two incentives are a journey nurse incentive which is able to present a further hourly premium for nurses who journey to work in distant areas, and a wellness incentive, which provides extra funds to the well being spending accounts of full and part-time nurses to assist to cowl the prices of eligible bills.
“The Winnipeg Regional Well being Authority is experiencing greater employees vacancies as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic as is the case throughout Canada,” mentioned Mike Nader, the WRHA’s president and CEO, in a information launch. “We’re starting to see constructive uptake on these new incentives. We thank the Manitoba authorities for this important funding in assist of the recruitment and retention of nurses in Winnipeg.”
On the announcement, Gordon famous the brand new wellness incentives are considered one of a number of underway tasks to enhance the work surroundings and security of nurses in Manitoba.
She mentioned the provincial authorities is consulting with stakeholders just like the Manitoba Nurses Union to design extra packages to assist the well-being of nurses, together with mentorship and peer assist.
“We view this announcement as a really essential and constructive step in addressing the numerous recruitment and retention points for Manitoba’s nurses,” mentioned Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, in a information launch.
“We are going to at all times work diligently and share our concepts and approaches to get our health-care system again to the place it must be. Nurses are downside solvers and we’re anxious to develop and see the implementation of additional efficient measures for all nurses to unravel the numerous challenges of our nursing human useful resource disaster.”
The brand new incentives are a part of the Well being Human Useful resource Motion Plan, which was launched in November 2022. On the time the province dedicated to including 2,000 health-care suppliers, investing $200 million to retain, prepare and recruit health-care employees throughout the province, and eliminating mandated extra time.
The province mentioned since its launch, greater than 330 new health-care suppliers reminiscent of nurses, health-care aids, physicians and different employees who present bedside care have been employed.
