Chatham-Kent’s hospital has made considerable strides to fill positions and retain staff over the last year.
Officials with the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) said only 1.5 per cent of positions remain vacant organization-wide, compared to a 3.5 per cent vacancy rate one year ago.
CKHA President and CEO Adam Topp said he credits the positive working environment at the hospital for the improvement.
“A lot of hospitals in the province are still reliant on things like agency staff, and Chatham-Kent Health Alliance doesn’t have to worry about that. We continue to be a great place to work and very successful in recruiting,” said Topp.
All nursing positions in the emergency department have also been filled at both the Chatham and Wallaceburg hospital sites. Last year, 18 per cent of those positions sat vacant.
Justin Turkington, CKHA’s chief human resources officer, said the hospital works to maintain a relationship with placement students and those completing clinical externships.
“From a nursing standpoint, we’ve done a pretty good job of retaining those who have had some experience in our building and have had a good experience in our building,” said Turkington. “We always make that a significant focus so they don’t apply elsewhere; they decide to stay with us.”
Hospital officials could not confirm if emergency department wait times have improved due to the higher staffing level, however, they said it should mean a better experience for patients.
The current average wait time for the CKHA emergency department is 3.8 hours for patients not admitted to the hospital, and 5.5 hours for those who are admitted.
