The ban on private employment agencies would have tragic consequences for the health network and especially for the first line, warns the Association of Private Companies of Caregivers of Quebec (EPPSQ).
“Depriving yourself of the contribution of the nearly 11,000 workers who have chosen to work in an agency heralds a tragedy that will hit those who need it most, the patients,” affirms the EPPSQ in the letter sent he will present on Tuesday as part of the consultations on Minister Dubé’s draft law to “liberate” the health network from private agencies.
Bill 10 provides that health and social care organizations will no longer be able to use the services of these agencies or independent workers, except in certain cases provided for by state regulations.
However, such a ban could prove unconstitutional, as it could compromise the population’s right to life and security by depriving the public network of nearly “11,000 qualified resources providing care to Quebecers,” the EPPSQ defends.
staff shortage
The association also warns the government that banning the use of agencies could exacerbate labor shortages in the healthcare network.
As evidence, she cites a survey she conducted among members, which certifies that a large proportion of the employees who have left the public network to work in the private sector will not return to the network if the agencies are abolished .
management
Moreover, the grievances of the health network are not to be blamed on the authorities, who instead point the finger at the failures of the dominant “organizational culture” there, as well as the management problems that are part of the “perverse consequences” of hypercentralization.
According to EPPSQ, healthcare facilities are sometimes forced to bypass bids “that don’t work in practice” to avoid service failures and to use suppliers who are not subject to “the same rules of good faith”. .
Costs
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the costs associated with the independent healthcare workforce in Quebec increased by 380% between 2016 and 2022, largely due to the increased use of the public network of recruitment agencies.
For its part, the EPPSQ claims that “even at the height of the pandemic” there was only a 0.5% difference in the pay of independent worker network staff compared to that of public network staff.
And if the wages are higher in remote regions, it is because the agencies have to pay for accommodation, travel and expenses for the employees, the association defends.
Some solutions offered by recruitment agencies:
- Make a list of suppliers accredited by the Quebec government
- Create an advisory table to ensure the maintenance and development of the regulatory framework
- Clearly define what a nursing placement agency is
- Don’t just apply the lowest bidder principle, but reinstate quality standards in public tenders in the healthcare sector
- Consider regional conditions to enable a pricing structure that is appropriate to Quebec territory.
- Set up a pricing structure to avoid the risk of overruns and abnormally high prices
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