Nunavut aims to save money with new nursing agency contracts

Nunavut is looking to get a better rate for its "quite expensive" agency nurses, which are brought in to fill urgent vacancies in health positions across the territory, the finance minister told the legislative assembly last week. 

Like many Canadian jurisdictions, Nunavut is feeling the pressure of a nursing shortage, which is made even more difficult by the territory's persistent problem with high turnover rates and burnout. 

To deal with that issue, Nunavut often turns to filling positions with casual contracts or nurses hired through an agency. 

"The use of nurses — agency, casual nurses — is quite expensive because we have to keep our health centres and our hospitals staffed," said Keith Peterson, during the last day of the legislature's winter sitting.

"There's no way around that. I know that department is working very hard on trying to contain costs and understand the cost." 

Peterson was answering questions about a supplementary appropriation bill, which provided nearly $22 million to the Department of Health to cover a projected budget deficit in several programs. Some of that money will go to health contracts. 

Nunavut health care challenges

The Government of Nunavut's open request for proposal lays out new rates for a number of different positions, including community health nurses and licensed practical nurses. 

"We have a [Request for Proposals] out right now for a new agency contract that will give us a little bit better rates and bring things a bit more in line but I can't go into any more detail on that because the RFP is out right now," said Colleen Stockley, Nunavut's deputy minister of health. 

According to the RFP, the government is looking for agencies for three-year contracts with two options to renew the contracts for an additional year.

"There are challenges in Nunavut which place increased pressure on the territory to have a skilled, stable and culturally-appropriate nursing workforce," the document reads. 

"Nunavummiut have some of the highest demands for health services in Canada as a result of a number of factors such as geographical and health status challenges." 

The Department of Health "spent approximately $13.3 million on agency services" during the 2014/2015 fiscal year, it says.

Communities 'in dire need'

Concerns about the status of nursing positions was a common theme during the session with many MLAs calling on the government to try and create a more stable workforce.

"We've always been in shortage of nurses in Baker Lake. Even before I came here, we had a shortage of nurses and they could only see patients in emergency cases," MLA Simeon Mikkungwak told the legislature on Feb. 25.

"I don't know what it is like right now, but we were in dire need of other nurses." 

Then-health minister Paul Okalik said the government's reliance on agency and contract nurses, particularly in the Kitikmeot region, is "something we need to work on." 

"We would like to see more nurses in Nunavut, especially Inuit," he said. "I would like to urge other Nunavummiut to take on such health-profession-type of courses."

Right now, there are 14 Inuit beneficiaries taking Nunavut Arctic College's pre-nursing program and 10 in the full nursing program.