WHITEHORSE, YT The Yukon’s Health Human Resources Steering Committee has released their first annual report, reviewing work that’s taken place over the past year to address a labour shortage in the Health and Social Services sector.
That report highlights progress made in the hiring and retention of nursing staff, resulting in a decrease in the vacancy rate within the Health and Social Services Department’s Community Nursing Branch, which now sits at 19% as of September, compared to 32.5% last July, meanwhile the vacancy rate for permanent nursing staff at the Yukon Hospital Corporation has been reduced to 8.1% this year, down from the 20.4% recorded last year.
The report also found that vacancies within the Care and Community Branch held steady at around 4 percent, while the Home Care Branch had been able to fill all regulated nursing positions, while maintaining an average vacancy rate of 6%.
The Steering Committee notes that recruitment and retention efforts have resulted in a fully staffed Whitehorse walk-in clinic, and that no Community Health Centres had to close this year due to staffing shortages.
Going forward, the Yukon government will continue to build on partnerships to expand education and training opportunities for healthcare professionals, with new healthcare related programs in development at Yukon University, remote learning options now available with the University of New Brunswick, and a commitment to continue to exploring best practices for recruitment and retention in the Healthcare sector.
