Nursing was added to the vital skills list in late 2022, despite the fact that it was discovered in 2010 that South Africa had a shortfall of more than 44 700 experts.
The supply of qualified workers across all nursing categories has dropped by about 40% since 2013, which highlights how severe the shortfall is.
Numerous variables, including inadequate training and student outputs, vacant positions, an ageing workforce, lucrative offshore prospects, and bad working conditions that have only gotten worse because of the Covid-19 outbreak are among those that have contributed to this expanding shortage.
According to the South African Nursing Council, the current nurse-to-patient ratio is one nurse for every 218 patients.
The ideal ratio is 1:16, which accentuates the severity of the issue.
If we are to prevent the complete collapse of the healthcare system, addressing this deficit requires a concerted strategy from the government, civic society and the commercial sector, with temporary employment service (TES) providers leading the way.
Priority one is patient care
Partnering with a TES provider would be an effective way to stop the skills shortage from becoming irreversible given that there are reportedly 12 000 open positions for doctors and nurses in South Africa’s public health-care system as well as rising talent migration to places such as the UK and New Zealand.
TES providers can also help in finding foreign skilled labour to support the medical sector until training and student outputs recover, using the example of developed economies as a guide.
In contrast to other industries where foreign expertise should only be used as a last resort, it is crucial to remember that patient care is the top priority and takes precedence over all other factors.
Contributing to the improvement of nursing skills
Because these organisations can help with the training and introduction of newly trained nurses into the industry, TES providers are uniquely positioned to address and reverse the nursing skills shortage.
TES providers can help people empower themselves to get essential experience and upskill themselves quickly, contributing to the improvement of the quality of nursing care, by allowing newly qualified nurses the chance to moonlight at a range of medical institutions.
The upskilling of their nursing staff is facilitated by permanent clinical facilitators who work for TES providers as part of their service level agreements with health-care facilities and government agencies.
These trainers, who are registered nurses with advanced degrees, conduct remedial and upskilling instruction in areas like trauma care, which helps to improve professional competencies.
Facilitating operational effectiveness
TES providers may provide health-care institutions with a flexible on-demand workforce, which is the most affordable approach to provide high-quality service, in addition to helping nursing personnel grow their abilities.
Hospitals and health-care facilities can outsource at least 50% of their staffing needs to TES companies, which eases the administrative, wage and labour management burdens.
As a result, there can be a greater emphasis on using other resources to provide proper patient care.
This will also improve the conditions that overworked nursing professionals who are hired permanently currently face, allowing them to prioritise their own physical and emotional health and take the much-needed time off.
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