A shortfall of some 100 employees combined with predatory third-party agencies rushing in to fill the gaps are hammering the District of Muskoka financially, Bracebridge council heard recently.
The news came from District Councillor Tatiana Sutherland during the latest Bracebridge Town Council meeting.
Sutherland was reporting on a recent District health services meeting, wherein councillors were told the District typically employs some 900 people but there are currently only about 800 people employed. The shortfall is almost entirely made up of long-term care (LTC) workers, she said.
“This has put us in a dire fiscal situation where the District is paying predatory staffing agencies to fill the provincially mandated staffing requirements,” she said. “It’s not sustainable and in my opinion, it’s quite possibly the biggest fiscal crisis the District is facing.”
Sutherland said those third-party staffing agencies charge up to five times what it would typically cost per hour. In some cases, those staffing agencies are even recruiting workers out of parking lots of long-term care homes with promises of higher pay and greater flexibility.
While the province has committed to cracking down on the agencies, Sutherland said that will likely do little to address the staffing shortfall.
According to a District report, some 81,000 staffing agency hours were required to provide care or support to both District LTC homes last year. Should the province not provide additional funding for agency premiums, and the use of staffing agencies continue at the 2022 rate, the estimated unfavourable variance for 2023 is expected to be $1.13 million at Fairvern and $2.43 million at the Pines.
Over 275 staff currently work in the District’s long-term care teams with 91 vacancies across the District’s two homes.
According to District staff, the Fairvern redevelopment will require the recruitment of an additional 130 care professionals by 2025.
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