Resources on this page provide support for health workforce planning, as well as recruitment and retention of staff. 

Health Human Resources Tools from Ontario Health

Ontario Health's Health Workforce Strategy & Implementation team put together this guide to their HHR programs. It contains information on programs to recruit and retain physicians (especially in rural and northern communities), nurses, and physician assistants, as well as travel reimbursement programs to support community assessment visits. A brief description is included for each program, as well as eligibility criteria, key contact information and online resources where additional details are available. Ontario Health will be updating the guide regularly - watch for an updated version here

Workforce Planning Toolkit

This collection of resources was developed by Ontario Health, Toronto region to support integrated primary health care workforce planning. It includes:

  • An interactive dashboard that provides an overview of the primary care landscape at a neighbourhood level, including demographic data, information about attachment, health system usage, projected service requirements, workforce capacity, and guidance to help you see the "big picture" in all this data (note: this dashboard currently only contains information for Toronto and its suburbs. If you are outside of this area, consider using these Primary Care Data reports from INSPIRE-PHC for information about your community).
  • A primer on health workforce planning
  • A how-to playbook for planning
Health Workforce Resources & Case Examples from Healthcare Excellence Canada

Two of Healthcare Excellence Canada's (HEC) focus areas are Health workforce retention and support and People in the workforce. Check out both pages for resources that can support your efforts to recruit, support, and retain staff in your organization, including:

  • Six strategies for strengthening the Workforce. This one-page guide outlines and describes six key strategies health systems in Canada can use to better support and retain the health workforce. These were identified by a roundtable of more than 50 health system leaders and a review of over 40 documents and 270 activities. They are listed below:
    • Fostering physically safe work environments.
    • Enhancing sustainable staffing.
    • Building flexible work structures.
    • Provide equitable and appropriate compensation.
    • Ensuring supportive and inclusive workplaces.
    • Supporting career advancement.
  • Health Workforce Innovation Challenge Awards. Offered by Healthcare Excellence Canada in 2023 to 2024, the Health Workforce Innovation Challenge (“the Challenge”) provided financial awards, coaching, resources and a peer network to nearly 150 healthcare teams interested in taking steps to retain and support their staff. Teams came all sectors and from a diverse mix of communities in every province. The following Alliance members were among the winners.
    • Country Roads Community Health Centre
    • Langs
    • Gateway Community Health Centre
    • Essex County Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic
    • Guelph Community Health Centre
  • Promising practices to strengthen primary care in northern, rural and remote communities

Watch this space for more resources to support recruitment and retention staff, including innovation success stories from Alliance members.

Ready to get started? Email QI@AllianceON.org for guidance and coaching support.