CFNU hosts first meeting of national nurse-patient ratio implementation council
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions hosted the first meeting of the National Council for Nurse-Patient Ratios Implementation of February 12, bringing together health employers, government representatives, academics and nurses’ unions.
The Council’s mission is to co-ordinate knowledge, resources, and advocacy efforts across Canada to implement a framework for spreading and scaling nurse-patient ratios, which evidence shows are an effective way to ensure patient safety and encourage nurses to remain in their profession.
“Safe nurse-patient ratios are critical to solving the nursing shortage and addressing the moral distress plaguing nurses who are working chronically overcapacity,” said CFNU President Linda Silas in a news release that day.
“All across the country, safe nurse-patient ratios are the No. 1 ask from nurses,” Silas said. “Strong nurse-patient ratios respect the reality that nursing is a safety-critical industry, where decisions about staffing are made based on safety.”
The National Council is comprised of 12 representatives of Canadian nursing unions and 12 from Canadian governments and employers. Kerry Morrison, Chief Nursing Officer of British Columbia, joins Silas as co-chair. B.C. became the first Canadian jurisdiction to commit to developing a safe-staffing framework in all health care settings in 2023. Since then, Manitoba has commenced work on a safe-staffing model.
The creation of the council was the top recommendation of the National NPR Summit held in the fall of 2024.
