With staff shortages looming, Santé Québec outlines how it will maintain services this summer
Posted June 17, 2025 2:36 pm.
Last Updated June 17, 2025 2:46 pm.
Moving health workers within a facility, or from one facility to the next, is one way Santé Québec is planning to deal with staff shortages in the province’s health network this summer.
There is always an increase in pressure on Quebec’s health and social service network from June to early September when workers take their vacation days.
That leaves too few staff members managing an increase in emergency room visits, which are largely due to a rise in tourism in certain regions in Quebec.
Santé Québec presented its plans to juggle that situation this summer at a press conference on Tuesday — something the health authority has been working on since March, it says.
“Rigorous planning is necessary in order to make sure that we can meet the needs of the population,” said Robin Marie Coleman, assistant vice-president of Santé Québec.
One of those measures is moving employees around as needed, but only if they agree to be moved, in line with collective agreements.
Other measures include a new real-time monitoring tool for care and service coverage; identification of sectors and regions at higher risk; and a public float team to support the teams in facilities.
In its monthslong planning, Santé Québec says it identified 480 situations that were at risk of seeing service disrupted over the summer. It says 384 of those have been avoided.
Of the remaining 96 service disruptions, the health authority says measures have been implemented for 83 of them. Santé Québec is still seeking solutions for 13 situations.
Regarding how it will reduce the number of emergency room transfers, Santé Québec says it will promote prevention for things like heatstroke and falls in long-term facilities. It will also follow and implement public health recommendations and monitor at-risk users.
“It’s very well structured in order to make sure that all risks are covered,” Coleman said. “There’s specialists that consult in that context in order to determine what are the criteria that requires transfers to the emergency room or not.”
Santé Québec says it is continuously monitoring potential service disruptions.
