RNU launches campaign calling for urgent action on health care staffing crisis
The Registered Nurses’ Union of Newfoundland and Labrador (RNU) has launched a new public campaign calling for action to strengthen healthcare by addressing nursing workforce challenges across the province. Centred on the message “Safe Staffing Saves,” the campaign encourages Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to contact their Members of the House of Assembly (MHAs) and call for investments that stabilize the nursing workforce and improve access to care.
Across the province, patients and families are facing growing uncertainty about when and where they will be able to access care. Patients are waiting longer in emergency departments, struggling to find primary care, and facing delays that can turn routine issues into more serious health concerns.
In rural and remote communities, those pressures can mean travelling long distances for basic services or wondering what will be left of healthcare close to home.
At the same time, nurses and other healthcare professionals are trying to meet complex patient needs while working short staffed. Chronic vacancies, mandated overtime, and denied leave requests increase burnout and make it harder to provide the safe, consistent care Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve.
Government is currently undertaking the first comprehensive assessment of nursing staffing needs in more than 40 years. To get a full picture of nursing realities—and to make meaningful improvements—this review must be completed and the recommendations acted on without delay.
“Safe staffing is what makes a healthcare system reliable,” said RNU President Yvette Coffey. “It means having the right number of nurses, with the right skills, in the right places so patients receive safe, professional care. Without it, delays increase, services become unstable, and people are left waiting when they need care most. That is not acceptable.”
Safe staffing saves patients. Safe staffing saves nurses. Safe staffing saves healthcare.
When care is timely and delivered by the right mix of nursing expertise, problems are caught earlier and complications are avoided. That means fewer delays, shorter hospital stays, and less strain on healthcare resources.
RNU is bringing forward practical, province-wide solutions to stabilize staffing and expand access to care: investing in recruitment and retention, expanding Nurse Practitioner services, and reducing reliance on costly private agencies so resources stay in the public system.
The union is also calling for modern, evidence-informed staffing models and stronger supports for nursing students, such as paid clinical placements, to help build a stable, sustainable workforce for the future.
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