Dr. Kathleen MacLellan:

There are workforce challenges and a strategic workforce plan is being developed to look at the needs across the system. I would like to point to the fact that through the chief nursing office in the Department, work on the safe staffing framework has commenced. That task force is in place and it has looked at international models of staffing across nursing homes. It is examining which model is the closest one that would work in this country and it will look to test that out in this country. There are two pieces to this. First is the availability of staff and the strategic workforce planning that is needed there. Second is the type of staffing model that we want and that we should put in place across the country for the future. Safe staffing has worked through phase 1 in acute hospitals, phase 2 in emergency departments and phase 3 is under way within the long-term residential care facilities. It is a welcome development and it will be helpful for the future.