NL Health Services Releases Core Staffing Review and Recommendations
The provincial government has publicly released the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services core staffing review, a document assessing minimum staffing levels and skill mixes across six sites, according to gov.nl.ca.
Release of Deloitte Review Follows Union Briefings
Stakeholder groups and prominent provincial unions received briefings on the report last week, though the document remained unreleased to the public until October 2026, VOCM reported. Government officials state that the review examines minimum staffing levels and skill mixes required to meet patient care needs. This includes specific studies on staffing models for Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and personal care attendants.
The evaluation encompasses six specific locations. These are the Community Health Mount Pearl Square, the Placentia Health Centre including Lions Manor, the Western Long-Term Care Home including 10 rehab and 15 restorative beds, the Labrador South Health Centre, the James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre, and Health Sciences Centre Units 4NB and 4NA, per gov.nl.ca.
Twenty-One Recommendations Target Core Areas
The report outlines 21 recommendations divided into four major operational categories. These focus on enabling staff to work to full value, stabilizing and sustaining core staffing, transitioning from reactive to evidence-based forecasted staffing, and reducing structural loads on personnel, according to gov.nl.ca. The deliverables additionally include an evaluation guide intended to inform assessments at other Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services sites.
Minister of Health and Community Services Joedy Wall stated that the government is currently reviewing these recommendations alongside major labor organizations. Discussions involve the Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland and Labrador, NAPE, and CUPE, fulfilling a commitment made during the 2019 collective bargaining process.
Minister Wall Denies Expanding Worker Duties
CUPE president Sherry Hillier stated last week that she is deeply concerned about proposed changes, specifically pointing to expanded duties for certain workers, VOCM reported.
Minister Wall addressed those concerns directly, stating that expanding duties is not the intended approach. Instead, the objective is to ensure workers operate to their full potential while maintaining adequate staffing numbers within each classification, according to VOCM.
The core staffing review and its accompanying evaluation guide are now accessible for public viewing online through government portals.