Ontario set a clear goal for long-term care: an average of four hours of direct care per resident per day from nurses and personal support workers, set in the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, plus 36 minutes a day from allied health staff such as physiotherapists and social workers. The province’s four-year staffing plan to reach it ran to March 31, 2025 (Ontario’s long-term care staffing plan).
For homes in Alliston, Barrie, Bradford and across Simcoe County, the hard part usually isn’t the target. It’s the gaps: a sick call on nights, a long weekend, an outbreak that takes three PSWs off the schedule at once. Every shift that goes unfilled lowers the care residents actually get that day.
Here’s how homes use temporary staff to protect those hours, without losing the continuity residents need.
1. Find where your hours slip
Look back over the last three months. Which shifts went short most often? For most homes it’s nights, weekends, statutory holidays and summer vacation weeks. Those are the shifts to plan relief for in advance, not at 6 AM on the day.
2. Book recurring relief, not just emergencies
If you’re short every Sunday night, book relief for that line ahead of time and ask for the same person each week. Recurring lines bring back the same faces, who already know your residents, your routines and your charge nurses. That matters even more on memory care units.
3. Offer extra shifts to your own part-time staff first
Your own part-timers know your residents best. Many homes offer open shifts to them first, then call an agency for whatever is left. A clear rule, such as “our staff get 30 minutes, then we call the agency”, keeps it fair and fast.
4. Check credentials before the first shift, not after
Ask any staffing agency to send these before someone arrives:
- College of Nurses of Ontario registration for every RN and RPN (you can confirm it on the public register)
- A PSW certificate for every PSW
- A recent police and vulnerable sector check
- Proof the agency is insured and registered with WSIB
An agency that has these ready in minutes is one you can call at 6 AM.
5. Make the first hour count
Relief staff do their best work when they get a short, consistent welcome: who the charge nurse is, where the fire exits and call bells are, and which residents are at risk of falls or wandering. A one-page unit sheet at the nursing station saves time on every shift.
6. Plan for December now
The holiday season is the hardest stretch of the year for staffing in Simcoe County. Booking holiday relief in October and November, rather than the week before, gives you the best chance of getting the people you want.
Need nurses or PSWs in Simcoe County?
Bamwan Health Care Services is based in Alliston and provides screened RNs, RPNs and PSWs to long-term care homes, retirement homes and hospitals across Simcoe County, for sick calls, holidays, contracts and permanent roles. Our phone line is answered 24/7.
Request staff now or call (416) 831-7506. Learn more about our healthcare staffing and last-minute relief.