At a time when Quebec is grappling with a major shortage of personnel in the health network, certain employment agencies are questioning the government’s desire to stop using their services within three years and say they want to part of the solution.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
“Eliminating us is not the solution. There are not enough nurses in the network,” argues Léonie Côté-Martin, president of the placement agency Groupe Serenis.
“We understand that the government wants to strengthen the network. But we want to be partners in this. We believe in finding the best balance to provide the best possible service […]. We have a role to play in meeting emergency needs. Especially in certain regions,” adds Richard Mercier, president of the Regroupement des agencies de placement de personnel de la santé.
Earlier this week, the Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, said he was giving himself three years to free himself from private agencies.
According to Patrice Lapointe, member of the board of directors of the Association of Private Companies of Caregivers of Quebec, weaning ourselves from agencies is “neither desirable nor feasible”. “My agency has existed since 1974. We are in support mode for the network. It’s not realistic to manage 100% of the needs without us,” he says.
If she says she supports the government in its desire to regulate the agencies, Ms.me Côté-Martin wants to “be part of the solution”. According to her, the agencies make it possible to reintegrate into the health network personnel who would otherwise leave the profession. “If you knew the number of people I recruited who worked in restaurants, shops…”, she says.
Other places in the world have shown that healthy public-private coexistence leads to better results, says Ms.me Cote-Martin. She adds that the government does business with private surgery clinics to reduce its waiting lists. “Why do we go through the private sector in these areas, but not with nurses? she asks.
“Mammoth” Tender
The government will have a lot to do to divest itself of the agencies, as shown by a first group call for tenders launched in January to hire agency staff in the health network under new, stricter conditions. About a hundred agencies responded to this call for tenders.
In all, independent labor needs are estimated at 3.5 million hours per year in the establishments covered by the call for tenders, which excludes, among others, the Montreal and Laval regions.
At the CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest, it is estimated that 541,000 hours of agency staff work are needed each year, just for beneficiary attendants. The CISSS indicates that “the number of hours was estimated based on the hours […] used in the past year. The establishment says it considerably increased its home care offer last year, when the number of hours increased by 23.7%. “Due to the lack of personnel, it was decided to use independent labor to provide this service offer,” explains the CISSS by email.
At the CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent, annual independent labor needs for nurses are estimated at 142,000 hours. Spokesperson Gilles Turmel explains that agency nurses work mainly “in our 24/7 units”, namely hospitals and CHSLDs. “Even if we ask for a specific number of hours, we have no obligation to use them,” he adds.
At the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, it is estimated that the need for independent labor for patient attendants is 185,000 hours per year. Spokesperson Annie Ouellet explains that the greatest needs “are found mainly in our 30 CHSLDs, in mental health and in the hospitals of Portneuf and Charlevoix”.
The needs on the North Shore are also important, as explained The Press last Saturday.
At the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), it is assured that despite this imposing call for tenders, the intention is to “reduce the use of independent labor”. “However, in the current situation, it is not possible to prohibit the use of agencies without putting at risk, particularly for establishments in remote regions, the care and services offered to the population,” indicates the MSSS.
New guidelines are included in the Quebec City call for tenders to “prevent agency workers from having better working conditions (schedules, etc.) than [réseau] “, notes the MSSS. In particular, the rates that agencies can charge are capped.
The president of the Federation of Health and Social Services (FSSS-CSN), Réjean Leclerc, welcomes the measures taken by the government to reduce the use of private agencies. But, according to him, the grouped call for tenders precisely shows the extent of the network’s dependence on the agencies and the importance of the shortage of health personnel. During the pandemic, the government accelerated training of nearly 10,000 beneficiary attendants to work in CHSLDs. “Despite that, there are still a lot of people missing,” notes Mr. Leclerc. According to him, it is urgent to improve working conditions in the public sector to stop the exodus to the private sector.