The stress of COVID-19 has added to the staffing issues for Hastings County long term care and other areas.
CAO Jim Pine presented a report to Hastings County council on Thursday indicating that two factors were putting a strain on staffing.
Pine said that the aging demographic of the county’s employee base continues, that it’s going to continue to result in retirements going forward.
“COVID-19 has pushed everybody in long term care and paramedic services across the whole operation to the limit and people are tired. They’re looking for perhaps other alternatives in terms of work.”
He pointed to a second reason.
“The demand for additional staff resources is also a factor.”
“The fact that the province has committed to creating thousands of new long term care beds across the province … that there’s going to be a greater demand for staff.”
Pine reported, “Senior staff have been talking about the idea of a master plan or a staffing plan strategy for a long time. You’ve heard me talking about that. We just think the time is now in order to get going and get that master plan. We need some help to get there.”
Council decided to use $48,000 from reserves to hire a consultant to provide advice on staffing.
