Health Human Resource Strategy

This section provides news and information about the evolution of the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Strategy, which aims to ensure that Canadians have access to the health providers they need both now and in the future.

Appropriate planning and management of health human resources (HHR) are key to developing a health-care workforce that has the right number and mix of health professionals to serve Canadians in all regions of the country.

The move toward a dynamic HHR Strategy builds upon the important work of Commissioner Roy Romanow and the Senate Committee chaired by Michael Kirby, which reviewed Canada's current health-care system and made recommendations for its improvement.

The Strategy is also one of the primary initiatives to come out of the 2003 First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal, which set out an action plan to ensure that:

• All Canadians can receive health services in reasonable amount of time based on their need, not their ability to pay, no matter where they live in Canada;
• The health services available to Canadians are of high quality, safe, effective, and focus on the needs of the patient; and
• Our health-care system is stable, affordable and will be there for Canadians and their children in the future.

To meet these goals, Health Canada is working with the provinces, territories and other key health-related organizations to improve HHR planning and coordination. The Health Human Resource Strategy will guide these efforts in three critical areas:

1. Health Human Resource Planning - ensuring we have enough of the right types of health-care providers to meet the needs of Canadians;
2. Recruitment and Retention - encouraging more people to enter the health-care field and improving working conditions to keep them there; and
3. Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Patient-Centred Practice - changing the way we educate health providers so Canadians will have better and faster access to the health-care provider they need when they need it, ultimately boosting the satisfaction of both patients and health-care providers.

While significant background work on the Strategy has already been completed, we invite you to bookmark this site as it continues to expand along with the Strategy's evolution. Please check back frequently, as we will post news, updates and progress reports as they become available.

• Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Strategy: 2007-2008 Annual Report
• A Framework for Collaborative Pan-Canadian Health Human Resources Planning
• Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Strategy 2006/07 Report
  • Accomplishments and New Projects
  • Ongoing Projects in 2006/07
• Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Strategy: 2005-2006 Annual Report
• Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Strategy: 2004/2005 Annual Report
• Health Human Resources Action Plan - Status Report (December 2005)

More Information

• Health Human Resources: Balancing Supply and Demand
• Kirby Report
• The 2003 First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal
• Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada: The Romanow Commission
• Office of Nursing Policy (ONP)
• First Nations and Inuit Health Branch

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