Northern Health reports 42 per cent ER nurse vacancy rate

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Northern Health is working to improve a 42 per cent nursing vacancy rate in northern B.C. emergency rooms and a 27 per cent overall nursing vacancy rate. 

Ciro Panessa, president and CEO of Northern Health, appeared before Peace River Regional District (PRRD)’s regional board of directors during the March 6th meeting for an update on the state of Northern Health and its strategic plan. 

Pannesa explained current areas of focus for the health authority include stabilizing emergency rooms, maternity and psychiatric services, improving surgery wait times and improving primary and community care services. 

“We still have [a] very high vacancy rate [in nursing], there’s no way to sugarcoat that,” Panessa said. 

“We’re running at about 27 per cent [vacancy rate] overall as a health authority, and if you take ER it’s much higher at 42 per cent.” 

Despite the high vacancy rate, Panessa explained the GoHealthBC program – Northern Health-employed nurses who travel throughout the north to hospitals in need of support – has been the reason emergency room closures can be reduced and avoided. 

Diving into northeast B.C.-specific statistics, overall vacancy rates for nursing sit at 21 per cent and emergency room vacancies are 29 per cent, both lower than the overall rates for the health authority. 

According to Panessa, Northern Health is currently focused on retention of employees, hiring more staff, expanding the travel nurse program GoHealthBC, as well as exploring hybrid emergency rooms with virtual physicians and/or clinical support. 

“[Staffing] continues to be the biggest risk in terms of us being able to achieve our mandate as a health service delivery organization,” Panessa said. 

The CEO told the directors 283 staff members from Northern Health were approved for a $30,000 incentive to move to hard-to-fill positions in rural and remote northern B.C. communities. 

Between January 1st and December 31st 2024, Northern Health received 79 new members of medical staff and lost 48.

This, as well as ongoing recruitment efforts by the health authority, have led to a decrease in employee vacancy rates starting in April 2024. Panessa reported an overall workforce increase of 23.63 per cent since January 2021.