Ontario Hospitals Throwing Serious 💰 at Staffing Agencies?! 🚑
Ontario hospitals have spent more than $9 billion on for-profit staffing agencies in last decade, report says. Ontario hospitals been low-key splurging, dropping over $9 billion on for-profit staffing agencies in the last decade. 😬 Turns out, agency staff can cost like, 3x more than just hiring p
TL:DR
Ontario hospitals been low-key splurging, dropping over $9 billion on for-profit staffing agencies in the last decade. 😬 Turns out, agency staff can cost like, 3x more than just hiring people straight up. Nurses might not know patients as well, and Quebec's tryna shut these agencies down completely. Ontario's saying "chill," but some peeps are calling cap and want changes ASAP.
The Deets
Okay, fam, so here's the tea: Ontario hospitals have been spending BANK on for-profit staffing agencies. We're talking a whopping $9.2 BILLION over the last 10 years. That's enough to make anyone say " whew chile." Turns out, when hospitals contract out staff through these agencies, it can cost them up to THREE TIMES more than if they just hired permanent staff. Like, seriously?!
And it gets even more sus. The CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario is saying that these agency nurses might not be as familiar with the patients as the regular staff. Meaning patient care could low-key be affected. Not a vibe, TBH.
For example, in the southwest region (shoutout to London!), public hospitals spent $52 million on these agencies just in 2022-2023. But the Ministry of Health is kinda playing it cool, saying that agency staff hours are still under 2% of the total. They also pointed out that over 97% of nursing grads are still hitting up the public workforce.
But here's where it gets real. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) dropped a whole report calling cap on the situation. They want an immediate $2 billion boost to hospital funding. Plus, they're suggesting phasing out and straight-up banning these private staffing agencies within three years. Their suggestion is that Ontario creates a public sector alternative for this sort of thing.
Meanwhile, Quebec is over here ready to cancel private staffing agencies BY NEXT YEAR. Talk about a power move. Ontario's government re-introduced legislation to require agencies to report billing/pay rate information, but the Health Minister does not plan to ban staffing agencies, no cap.
Word on the street is hospital job vacancies increased by 331% from 2015 to 2024 and these hospitals are particularly reliant on agency staff, especially in rural and northern hospitals.
The Green Party leader suggests hiring more nurses, paying fair wages, and ensuring safe working conditions to reduce agency usage.
Abbreviations Glossary
| Abbreviation | Full Form |
|---|---|
| Low-key | Kind of, slightly, subtly. |
| Splurging | Spending a lot of money. |
| Tea | Gossip, news, information. |
| Whew chile | Expression of shock or surprise. |
| Sus | Suspicious. |
| TBH | To be honest. |
| Calling Cap | Claiming something is a lie. |
| No cap | No lie, for real. |
| Bank | Money |