Silas: Safe nurse-patient ratios are the key to nurse retention and patient safety
November 14, 2024 (Ottawa, ON) – This November, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) is hosting the first national summit on nurse-patient ratios – a vital tool for the safety of both nurses and patients.
The Nurse-Patient Ratios Summit will bring together national and international nursing leaders with academic experts, nurses unions, employers and government officials to share and discuss evidence-based strategies, best practices and actionable recommendations for implementing this safe staffing model.
“The nurse staffing crisis extends across our country – and across the globe. In the face of a global nursing crisis, Canada must take a leadership role in exploring and implementing sustainable solutions to the poor working conditions pushing nurses out of the profession,” explains Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU). “Safe nurse-patient ratios are the key to nurse retention and patient safety.”
A wide body of academic literature over several decades has consistently found and continues to call for higher nurse staffing to improve nurse and patient outcomes. International jurisdictions such as California and Australia have mandated staffing ratios as a way of addressing nursing workload and improving patient care.
British Columbia became the first jurisdiction in Canada to commit to establishing minimum nurse-patient ratios in April 2023. Only months later, Nova Scotia committed to developing a safe staffing framework to determine the appropriate number of nurses for safe care in different settings. With this summit, the CFNU seeks to explore safe staffing practices that have been introduced in Canada and internationally and chart a path towards a national framework for implementing nurse-patient ratios.
“Safe nurse-patient ratios are an evidence-based policy option that has the potential to turn around the crisis plaguing our health care systems. Canada needs a plan to bring this life-saving strategy from coast to coast to coast,” said Silas.
The Nurse-Patient Ratios Summit will be held in Ottawa November 27-28. Attendance is by invitation only. The CFNU is grateful for Health Canada’s financial support for the Nurse-Patient Ratios Summit. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.
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For more information, please contact Adella Khan, CFNU Communications, media@nursesunions.ca, 613-807-2942.
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) is Canada’s largest nurses’ organization, representing frontline unionized nurses and nursing students in every sector of health care – from home care and LTC to community and acute care – and advocating on key priorities to strengthen public health care across the country.