Earlier this year, BC Care Providers Association hosted the 2nd Annual BC Continuing Care Collaborative in partnership with the BC Ministry of Health, bringing together over 170 stakeholders from across the continuing care sector. The day-long dialogue focused on how we will train, recruit and retain the next generation of continuing care workers. We have prepared a special report based upon the input of our delegates entitled “The Perfect Storm: A Health Human Resources Crisis in Seniors Care”, which will be released this Thursday, April 12th. The following post is a preview of that report…
Addressing worker safety as a retention strategy was a theme discussed throughout the BC Continuing Care Collaborative. Delegates identified that high injury rates in the continuing care sector negatively affect worker retention and reduce continuity of care for residents and clients. Furthermore, the sector’s reputation for having high injury rates – particularly with respect to violence – prevents potentially qualified candidates from entering the sector.
Stakeholders identified that there is a need to ensure that the health and safety practices that are taught in school are up to date with industry best practices, and there is consistency between what is taught in school and practiced in the workplace. Delegates agreed training colleges could be doing more to provide hands-on health and safety training in collaboration with SafeCare BC and continuing care employers.
It was also identified that continuing care employers can improve staff safety by committing to creating a strong culture of safety. Organizations with strong safety cultures generally have lower injury rates, fewer workdays lost, and higher staff retention rates. As such, prioritization of staff safety was identified as a key strategy to improve retention in the continuing care sector. Taking advantage of training and resources provided by SafeCare BC will enable employers to enhance their safety culture, thereby increasing staff retention.
Recommendations:
- Create partnerships between SafeCare BC, employers and training colleges to enhance the delivery of workplace health and safety training to students from HCA and LPN courses.
- Continuing care employers to prioritize the health and safety of workers by investing in ongoing education and training for workers, as well as embedding safety into organizational culture.
