government, nlhs release health human resource plan, aiming to stabilize workforce
the official opposition, ndp and nurses' union, however, have issues with the plan released on may 29, 2025
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krista lynn howell, minister of health and community services, lays out the health human resource plan during a may 29, 2025 announcement.
cameron kilfoy/the telegram
two years ago, the provincial government awarded a $1.42 million contract to deloitte canada to develop a health human resources plan — on thursday, may 29, 2025 that plan became publicly available.
the health human resource plan stems from a health accord nl recommendation to build and sustain a strong health workforce in the province.
minister of health, krista lynn howell, said thursday the goal of the plan is to stabilize the health workforce over the next decade.
the plan also provides a 10-year forecast for workforce requirements in 21 health professions — these include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, social workers, paramedics, lab techs and assistants, and pharmacists, among others — with more data on 36 physician specialties expected, according to howell.
what are the key recommendations of the report?
the report also includes over 100 recommendations, which have been accepted by the government, to ensure the workforce is in a position to meet the needs of residents.
the recommendations focus on three core areas:
- retention – improving workplace experience, compensation, and sustainability
- recruitment – continued investment, partnerships, compensation, and outreach
- automation – easing non-clinical workloads to focus more on patient care
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how will the plan make recruitment and retention efforts easier?
howell called the plan a blueprint that will guide nl health services (nlhs) and her department of health and community services through future recruitment and retention strategies.
“it is a tool now that we can use to model how our recruitment and retention efforts will unfold and how we can better support the workforce through the health-care system in all areas, with specific focus on the 21 professions,” said howell.
the data and projections in the plan, howell added, were based on conditions as they stood in 2022, meaning the data is now more than two years old. however, she added that a number of things have been done already to change that baseline.
howell shared some recent recruitment data during the plan’s announcement.
she said that 140 physicians and 1,100 nurses have been recruited since april 2023. ninety percent of this year’s bachelor of science nursing graduates have accepted full-time or temporary full-time positions with nlhs, and 193 international nurses, recruited from india and dubai, have already arrived in the province.
why is the plan being released now?
as mentioned, the data from the report is based on 2022 conditions. the plan also lacks data on physician specialties, so why is the government releasing a plan that doesn’t provide a full picture?
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howell said that nlhs and the department didn’t want to wait; they believe the document is something they can build on. putting it out to the public, she added, is a way to address the amount of work that still needed to be done.
“we wanted to have it out there so we can look at the projections and build our plan accordingly,” said howell.
what are the next steps of the plan?
when it comes to how the plan moves forward, completing the physician workforce analysis is a priority. howell said work on that is still underway.
engagement with stakeholders, such as unions, regulatory bodies and health-care staff, will continue.
howell said that continuing those discussions will make the path forward more concrete and decisive.
barry petten, health critic of the official opposition, said the health human resource plan does not reflect the real health-care access problems people in the province are facing. photo by cameron kilfoy/the telegram
opposition, ndp, criticism
barry petten, opposition health critic, said that he feels the plan shows a real-world disconnect between the current government and the people of newfoundland and labrador. he added that the report does not reflect the ongoing crisis in ers, rural care, or doctor shortages.
ndp leader jim dinn said if the government wants to call this a blueprint, then they will actually have to do something with it. dinn believes the government is kicking the can down the road.
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“are they serious about solving the problems, or are they hoping, i guess, to bury their head in the sand and hope that it goes, i don’t know, but it’s frustrating,” said dinn.
leader of nl’s new democratic party, jim dinn. photo by cameron kilfoy/the telegram
fails to grasp the full picture: rnu
the president of the registered nurses union, one of the groups consulted on this plan, yvette coffey, issued a release shortly after the report was made public, saying it fails to grasp the full picture nurses and patients are facing every day.
coffey’s release put forth demands and solutions, which include:
- core staffing review: immediate assessment based on today’s system.
- safe hours legislation: cap on forced overtime.
- independent health sector safety council: oversight and accountability.
- safe nurse-patient ratios: legally enforceable care standards.
“progress means relief on the front lines — not just plans on paper,” said coffey.
this article was originally published in the st. john’s telegram on may 29, 2025.
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