New report warns of longer wait-times, rushed care, and overcrowded Ontario hospitals as government cuts expected to cause over 10,000 job losses and shortfall of 4,080 beds

Over one thousand positions already eliminated in multiple hospitals including North Bay, GTA, and Hamilton as hospitals buckle under budgetary pressures

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As hospitals cut hundreds of jobs and eliminate vacant positions amidst budgetary constraints imposed by the Conservative government, the largest health care union in Ontario is warning about longer wait-times, rushed care, preventable mistakes, and overcrowded hallways.

On Tuesday, CUPE released a new research report, “Driven to the brink: projected cuts to intensify Ontario’s hospital crisis,” which contrasts the additional resources required to simply maintain existing service with the government’s planned cuts by 2027-28, highlighting a 4,080 staffed bed capacity shortfall in the system.

The Ford government recently directed the hospitals to plan for a two per cent annual increase in funding over the next three years, well short of the six per cent average since 2020, precipitating cuts in multiple facilities hampered by budget deficits.

At least 1,000 jobs are being cut in hospitals in North Bay, Hamilton, Ottawa, Niagara and the GTA.

“This is a shocking political decision to cut our hospitals when we need more staff, not fewer,” said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE). “Hospitals could improve access, reduce wait-times, and provide better care by attracting and retaining qualified staff. Instead, the government is choosing to starve our public hospitals with another round of reductions to staffing levels and bed capacity.”

Last year, an analysis by the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario showed that the government’s plan would entail the loss of 9,000 nurses and personal support worker positions across the health care sector by 2027-28.

Low staffing levels mean more waiting, notes the CUPE report. According to the most recent data reported by the provincial government (March 2024) there were nearly 73,000 patients in Ontario who waited longer than clinically recommended for their surgeries, up from 36,360 in 2019.

In surveys conducted by CUPE at hospitals implementing job cuts, staff have expressed concerns about worsening working conditions and the concomitant impact on patient care:

• “The [public should know] that hospitals are no longer safe. Lack of appropriate staffing makes it difficult to provide the care we desperately want to provide.”

• “[The job cuts will cause] increase in wait times. Job satisfaction will continue to decline. Patients will suffer the consequences. This continues to make the workplace unsafe and [increases] risks around violence.”

• “Losing staff means less time for therapeutic rapport building, takes away from personal aspect of nursing and turns the role into one where patients become ‘more of a number’ on the list of daily tasks required...increases the risk of staff and patient injury.”

“The frontline staff clearly express what they need to do their jobs effectively.” Hurley said. “Cutting hundreds of staff will badly weaken our hospitals.”

The government may also want to pay attention to Ontario residents. In December, CUPE commissioned polling by the research firm Nanos to gauge public perception about hospital care. Fifty-seven per cent of Ontarians disapproved of the Ford government’s management of hospitals rating it poor (25 per cent) or very poor (32 per cent). Ninety-four per cent supported more hospital funding to avoid job cuts or delays in surgeries.

The FAO noted that the number of staffed hospital beds would decline by about 2,400 by 2027-28 – a seven per cent decrease. Based on projected increase in patient volumes, the union estimates that Ontario actually needs an additional 1,600 beds (4.5 per cent increase).

The reduction in staffed beds is alarming at a time when about 2,000 hospital patients receive care daily in hallways, storage closets and other unconventional spaces due to insufficient capacity, making it very challenging to provide safe care, noted Hurley.

These problems are self-inflicted as Ontario funds and staffs its hospitals at the lowest rate across Canada, said Doug Allan, senior CUPE researcher and author of the report. He said Ontario would need to add 48,000 hospital staff to match the average of the rest of Canada.

“In contrast with government policies, we need a significant increase in beds and staffing levels,” said Allan. “We need this to end the backlogs, delays, and to reduce ‘hallway healthcare’ as the Ford PCs promised in their 2018 election campaign. We also need it to keep up with increasing demand pressures that naturally arise with a growing and aging population.”

The union is recommending the following actions by the provincial government:

- In the short term, add 6,200 staffed beds to improve service levels.

- Hire 48,000 full-time staff to reach the national per-capita average.

- Increase core hospital funding by $3.2 billion to match the rest of Canada.

- After the funding catch-up noted above, plan to fund at least 5 to 6 per cent annual growth to match cost pressures arising from inflation, population growth, population aging, and hospital utilization.

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