Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Planning
Background
The Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource (HHR) Planning initiative, as part of the Health Human Resource Strategy, will help to ensure that Canada has enough of the right types of health care providers in order to meet the needs of Canadians, now and in the future.
Planning for HHR in Canada has traditionally been conducted in an isolated approach, which lacked collaboration between the jurisdictions with respect to addressing the supply and demand issues of Canada's health care workforce. This led to duplication of efforts, and overlapping objectives. For example, there were some gaps and a lack of consistency concerning how and what data on HHR was collected. In 2003, the First Ministers requested that collaborative strategies be undertaken to strengthen the evidence base for pan-Canadian HHR planning. In recent years, greater attention has been given to developing a framework for Collaborative pan-Canadian HHR Planning, improving HHR data and modeling, and research on HHR.
Objectives
The objectives of the Pan-Canadian HHR Planning Initiative are as follows:
- To enhance and strengthen the evidence base and capacity for coordinated HHR planning to better support federal/provincial/territorial areas, jurisdictional and nationwide activities; and
- To create a culture in which key HHR issues of jurisdictional, inter-jurisdictional and pan-Canadian concern can be identified and addressed.
Accomplishments to Date
Key activities, which support the Pan-Canadian HHR Planning Initiative, include: the enhancement of HHR data and modeling, and the development of the Framework for Collaborative Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Planning. These activities are described in greater detail below.
Health Human Resources Data Enhancements:
Minimum Data Set Project
With partial funding from Health Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) developed a national minimum data set to guide HHR data collection for health professions other than nurses and physicians in Canada. The  final report was posted on the CIHI website in February 2005.
HHR Databases Development Project
Health Canada has a multi-year contribution agreement with CIHI to develop, for the first time, national, supply-based database and reporting systems for the following health professions: pharmacists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, medical laboratory technologists, and medical radiation technologists. Find out more about this project on the CIHI website.
HHR Education Data Enhancement
Health Canada and Statistics Canada are collaborating to assess and report on the education indicators necessary to monitor the supply of health professionals. The collection of this data will assist in HHR planning. In keeping with the collaborative approach, Statistics Canada consulted the federal, provincial, and territorial ministries of health and education, health provider organizations, CIHI, HHR researchers, and other related organizations to determine the needs associated with education data.
The Advisory Committee on Health Delivery and Human Resources
The Advisory Committee on Health Delivery and Human Resources (ACHDHR) has been a major conduit for the collaborative work that has taken place concerning HHR planning. The ACHDHR developed an HHR Planning Framework including agreed upon federal, provincial and territorial action plans designed to support collaborative pan-Canadian HHR planning. The Framework sets out the principles for collaboration and goals, and identifies key actions jurisdictions can take together to:
- overcome barriers to implementing system-design, population needs-based planning;
- avoid the risks and duplication associated with the current jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction planning approach; and
- increase their HHR planning capacity-while respecting jurisdictional authority and regional planning initiatives.
HHR Modelling Working Group
Modelling is a tool used to support the HHR planning and policy activities of government and stakeholders. It is the process of building representations of HHR systems to evaluate scenarios or to forecast HHR needs. The HHR Modelling Working Group assists the HHR Planning Subcommittee of ACHDHR in fulfilling its mandate by providing strategic advice on HHR data and modelling. It also promotes collaborative HHR data and modelling activities and networks that support federal, provincial, territorial policy and planning requirements, sharing of knowledge and the formation of partnerships between researchers and policy makers.
- Framework for Collaborative Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Planning
The Framework makes the case for a pan-Canadian collaborative approach to planning, describes the challenges, identifies priorities for collaborative action and sets out tangible specific actions that jurisdictions can take together to achieve a more stable, effective health workforce. This framework is designed to facilitate and increase collaboration between government and stakeholders. The Framework sets out an innovative planning approach that is driven by population health needs and system design - rather than past utilization trends - and provides the flexibility to deploy HHR differently in response to new delivery models.
Links and Resources:
Some of the following hyperlinks are to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act. The material found there is therefore in the language(s) used by the sites in question.
National Organizations:
Federal Departments:
International Organizations:
Contact Us:
Bentley Hicks
Manager, Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Planning
Health Human Resources Strategy Division
Health Canada
bentley_hicks@hc-sc.gc.ca
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