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| TODAY'S NEWS | SEARCH THE NEWSROOM | NEWS BY MINISTRY |
TORONTO, Feb. 14 /CNW/ - Our government has a comprehensive plan to
strengthen the nursing profession. We remain fully committed to our plan to
create 8,000 new nursing positions over our mandate and to have 70 per cent of
nurses working full-time. And we're making progress.
Here's what we've achieved so far:
Direct, protected investments in full-time nursing jobs
- $50 million to create a minimum of 800 full-time nursing positions in
hospitals.
- $191 million more to hire 2,000 new staff including 600 new full-time
nurses in long-term care homes and to raise standards of care
including having an RN on staff 24/7.
- $103 million more in home care and another $65 million more in
community mental health to support new full-time nursing positions.
- $34.8 million to hire 1,000 nursing grads in temporary full-time
positions so that they get hands-on experience; to provide late career
nurses with less physically demanding roles to keep them working
longer; to create a mentorship program matching new and late career
nurses; and to invest in clinical simulation equipment for nursing
students.
- $30 million each year to support 400 nurse practitioner positions.
Better working conditions, education and professional opportunities
- Reducing on-the-job injuries for nurses by funding better, safer
equipment, including $60 million to purchase 11,000 bedlifts in
hospitals and LTC homes in 2004/2005. This builds on our previous
investment of $39 million in 2003/2004 for bedlifts, safety equipment
and programs to improve working conditions for hospital nurses.
- $10 million a year for continuing education programs through the
Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and the Registered Practical
Nurses Association of Ontario.
- $4.15 million annually in nursing research.
- $10 million over four years beginning in 2004/2005 towards the Nursing
Faculty Fund to increase the number of faculty available to educate
tomorrow's nurses.
- In the 2004/2005 budget, an additional $2 million over three years in
a bridge training project, Creating Access to Regulated Employment
(CARE), for internationally trained nurses.
- $2 million announced in the 2004/2005 budget to double the number of
nurse practitioner seats.
Delivering Results
- Funding to create 2,914 full-time nursing jobs in hospitals, long-term
care homes, home care and community agencies which includes up to
1,202 full-time nursing positions in hospitals, according to their
nursing plans.
- Workopolis is currently running over 400 ads for new nursing
positions, most of them in hospitals.
- Hospitals and all providers are being held to account for the money we
provide for nursing.
- Special accountability agreements with all providers require them to
use protected funding to create full-time nursing positions, towards
the target of 70 per cent working full-time.
- Chief Nursing Officers and ONA and other nursing union representatives
at small and medium sized hospitals must sign off on their nursing
plans confirming that protected nursing funding was used as intended.
If hospitals don't use the funding properly, it will be taken back and
given to hospitals that can.
- The new powers of the provincial auditor under Bill 18 will hold
government and health providers to account.
www.resultsontario.gov.on.ca.
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For further information: Members of the media: Eva Lannon, Minister's Office, (416) 327-4320
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