A Framework for Collaborative Pan-Canadian Health Human Resources Planning

III. The Action Plan

According to a survey of jurisdictions across Canada, a collaborative HHR framework will be accepted and effective if it adds value to the planning provinces and territories are currently doing, and gives them access to data, tools, models, approaches and influence that they cannot achieve on their own.

Appropriate planning and management of health human resources (HHR) is key to ensuring that Canadians have access to the health providers they need, now and in the future. Collaborative strategies are to be undertaken to strengthen the evidence base for national planning, promote inter-disciplinary provider education, improve recruitment and retention, and ensure the supply of needed health providers.

2003 First Minister's Accord on Health Care Renewal

The ACHDHR has developed an action plan designed to support collaborative pan-Canadian HHR planning. The plan sets out the principles for collaboration and identifies key actions jurisdictions can take together to: overcome barriers to implementing system-design, population needs-based planning; avoid the risks and duplication associated with the current jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction planning approach; and increase their HHR planning capacity - while respecting jurisdictional authority and regional planning initiatives.

The proposed action plan addresses the FMM 2003 Accord, and supports and builds on the FMM 2004 commitments - including the Aboriginal Health Human Resources Initiative - to "continue and accelerate their work on health human resources action plans and initiatives to ensure an adequate supply and appropriate mix of health care professionals", to "foster closer collaboration among health, post-secondary education and labour market sectors" and improve Aboriginal health and adopt measures to address the disparity in the health status of the Aboriginal population. Specifically it supports the federal, provincial, territorial governments' agreement to "increase the supply of health professionals, based on their assessment of the gaps" and, by December 31, 2005, to develop action plans (including targets for training, recruiting and retaining professionals).

Assumptions

The action plan to support collaborative pan-Canadian HHR planning is based on the following assumptions:

• As jurisdictions design their systems to meet population health needs, the types of professionals required and the way they are deployed may change. HHR planning must consider the design of each jurisdiction's health care system and its chosen service delivery models.
• Pan-Canadian collaboration will enhance each jurisdiction's capacity to plan the health workforce, to monitor trends, to anticipate future needs, and to achieve planning goals.
• Effective HHR planning requires timely accurate information. As the quality of data to support HHR planning improves, planning models may have to be refined or adjusted.
• Effective HHR planning requires better integration between the education system that prepares providers and the health system that employs and deploys them.
• The HHR sector - unlike other (market driven) workforces - will continue to be largely publicly funded and, therefore, will require a different (i.e., non-market driven) approach to forecasting both supply and demand.
• Strategic investment in health human resources planning, including recruitment, retention and healthy workplace initiatives, has the potential to significantly reduce costs associated with absenteeism, workers' compensation, and staff turnover.
• Effective HHR planning will ensure greater accountability for HHR decisions which, in turn, will lead to more appropriate, better quality of care (i.e., it will help ensure appropriate providers are providing appropriate care, and reduce or eliminate inappropriate services).
• Resource deployment and utilization remain the responsibility of the appropriate jurisdictions.

Principles

Effective coordinated and collaborative pan-Canadian health human resources planning will:

• enable each jurisdiction to design its health care system based on population health needs and identify the human resources required through a process that is patient-centred, culturally sensitive, evidence-based, and outcomes directed
• be responsive to health care renewal and changes in system design
• foster patient safety
• be culturally sensitive and responsive to health needs of Aboriginal people
• provide a flexible health workforce that has the knowledge, skills, and judgement (i.e., competencies) to work in quality driven, innovative, cost-effective, interdisciplinary service delivery models
• support the provision of safe and healthy workplaces
• actively engage educators, employers, funders, researchers and providers in the planning process
• respect jurisdictional differences and jurisdictional responsibility for service delivery, and reflect the shared responsibility to provide leadership within the health care system
• strive towards greater self-sufficiency in HHR.

Vision

Improved access to appropriate, effective, efficient, sustainable, responsive, needs-based health care services for Canadians, and a more supportive satisfying work environment for health care providers through collaborative strategic provincial/ territorial/ federal health human resources planning.

Goals