LAKELAND – While the number of contract nurses working in Alberta Health Services (AHS) owned hospitals in the Lakeland has decreased, the number of locum nurses and the length of time locums are being brought in for is increasing.
As previously reported by Lakeland This Week, AHS has spent a projected $330 million on agency nurses across the province since 2022. Agency nurses are employed by private companies and travel to fill short and long-term contracts of at least six weeks for public healthcare providers. Zone specific financial data was not provided.
In addition to the private staffing agency nurses, AHS also has a nurse locum program in place to meet the staffing challenges of the North Zone. The nurse locum program began in the far north in 2012 and was expanded to the entire zone in 2015.
According to documents received by Lakeland This Week in response to a Freedom of Information request, there were 30 per cent more locum nurses by February 2025 than in the 22/23 fiscal year, and the average length of the placements has increased by 70 per cent across the North Zone over the last three years.
In Cold Lake and Lac La Biche, locum nurse placements have tripled.
In the 22/23 fiscal year Lac La Biche had 10 locum nurse placements averaging 84 days; in 23/24 there were 36 nurses averaging 73 days; and in 24/25, with data currently only available to February there were 30 locum nurse placements averaging 117 days each.
In Cold Lake, the average length of the placements has nearly tripled as well.
In the 22/23 fiscal year, Cold Lake had 10 locum nurse placements averaging 51 days each. In 23/24, there were 31 placements averaging 83 days; and in 24/25, with data currently only available to February, there were 32 locum nurse placements averaging 148 days each.
“Nurses in the locum program are employees of AHS and their terms and conditions are governed by the collective agreement [with the United Nurses of Alberta],” said AHS in the response to the request.
With a $25 hourly premium on top of their regular wage, $50 daily payment, a per diem allowance, meal allowance, reimbursement of travel costs, and accommodations provided by the program at no cost, locum nurses are paid significantly more than the permanent staff. According to AHS, they are still a cheaper alternative to contract nurses from private staffing agencies, which are billed at an average of $120 - $150 per hour.
“This rate does not include other costs AHS is responsible for, including overtime and shift premium costs, reimbursement for travel and accommodation, and meal allowances,” said AHS in their response.
Based on the figures provided, over an eight hour shift the locum nurse is between $452 and $596 cheaper per day.
According to the information released for the request, the total cost of the locum nurse program was $5.4 million in fiscal 22/23, $15.2 million in fiscal 23/24, and $18.9 million to date in fiscal 24/25 as of Jan. 31.
The figures do not include the cost of housing “set up in closed unites within AHS facilities or other community housing provided through municipalities for shared use by physicians, medical staff, EMS, firefighters, and others.”
The figures also do not include Recovery Alberta RN locum expenses as of Sept. 1, 2024.
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St. Albert Gazette
So why don’t they hire full time nurses and quit wasting tax dollars on temporary nurses?
St. Albert Gazette
If I read that correctly, there is now a “ private” agency making money by hiring nurses ( instead of AHS) and now we pay an agency fees to send nurses to AHS as needed? AHS is unable to hire nurse themselves and do the same thing, without taxpayers covering the cost of an agency to supply nurses??