Another wave of Alberta health workers get transfer notices as restructuring continues

Hundreds of health-care workers received notification this week that they will transition from Alberta Health Services to a new agency overseeing primary care early in the new year.

The migration is part of the provincial government's full-scale overhaul of the health system and the creation of four new organizations to oversee health-care delivery.

Primary Care Alberta became a legal entity in November. 

According to the provincial government, 1,350 AHS staff received formal notices this Monday and Tuesday that they would be transferring to the new organization. The unions were notified Dec. 3.

Staff from programs including Health Link, primary care networks, provincial midwifery services, some primary care clinics, the provincial primary health care program and FAST (a centralized surgical referral service) are affected.

"We are pleased to share that we have taken another step forward as the process to transfer positions from Alberta Health Services to Primary Care Alberta is now underway," a statement from the health minister's office said.

"Positions were identified based on alignment with the responsibilities shifting to Primary Care Alberta, which will focus on supporting integrated teams of family physicians, nurse practitioners and pharmacists to provide patients with the best care possible."

The transfers take effect on Feb. 1, 2025.

According to the United Nurses of Alberta, 457 positions that fall under its membership are impacted.

"This is another wave of the wanton destruction of Alberta health-care services," said UNA president Heather Smith.

"Obviously, there is a great deal of concern for the immediate and long-term implications for nurses, and other health-care workers, [and] for the future of health-care services here in the province."

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Smith said UNA members are given the option of staying with AHS or moving to Primary Care Alberta, similar to the transition to Recovery Alberta (one of the three other new organizations).

"It will start again the rippling of movement, displacements, bumping, as it were, that is possible across the entire province by people who choose not to go to this new entity," she said. "The chaos that this creates and disruption to teams in all areas is very costly and destabilizing and absolutely unnecessary."

It's unclear, though, how many jobs will be available at AHS down the line. The province is effectively dismantling AHS and will relegate it to the role of hospital provider, answering to the yet to be launched Acute Care organization.

Kathy Howe, CEO of the Alberta Association of Nurses, said with so many unknowns she, too, is hearing from worried front-line staff

"We've heard overall a high level of anxiety," she said.

"While the change is still necessary, I think the process has been really stressful on nurses at an already very stressful time. It doesn't seem to be moving quickly and certainly not particularly smoothly."

Howe said some of that uncertainty is related to the fact the entire infrastructure — which is being rolled out in stages and has already faced delays — is not yet in place.

She is also concerned non-unionized nurse leaders, managers and directors could face job losses.

The Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) said 130 of its members received transfer notices and another 30 vacant positions are impacted.

Many of these workers are in Calgary and include clinical telehealth facilitators, mental health therapists and physiotherapists.

HSAA president Mike Parker said his union wasn't consulted before it was informed the notices would be going out.

"We have been struggling to retain the workers that we have — to recruit the workers of the future — and this chaos continues to add pressure," he said.

"Our members are sick and fed up with this stuff. They just want to do the job that they've been trained to do, and that's take care of Albertans."

Parker said the union is struggling to get information about the provincial government's plans.

"I find it hard to find anybody who knows what's going on this transition. Because every time we reach out, we are not getting answers on this stuff."

According to the province, 10,300 AHS staff have already transferred to Recovery Alberta. Earlier this year, another 126 positions moved from AHS to Alberta Health.

"Staff will not be receiving layoff notices through this process and can expect a smooth transition, including continuity of pay, benefits, pension, standard hours, vacation entitlement, seniority, union affiliation, work location and clinical and corporate systems and processes," the health minister's office said in an email.

More transfers are expected as the health restructuring continues.