Nursing Retention Fund (NRF)

Transcription

1 FUNDING CRITERIA & PROCESS Background The purpose of the Nursing Retention Fund (NRF) is to provide funds to public hospitals in the province of Ontario for education/training as retention initiatives in circumstances where changes to hospital services may otherwise result in layoffs/reduction in hours for nurses. Changes to hospital services, or service changes 1, may include a reduction of a program or service, closure of a hospital unit or a reduction in beds, in order to address a budget shortfall. This may in turn result in a reduction of nursing positions/hours. The Ontario Nurses Association, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario are joint managers of the Nursing Retention Fund through the Management Committee on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Long Term-Care. Process Public hospitals may apply for funding through the NRF by submitting a completed application form with the required supporting documents and signatures, accompanied by a completed Hospital Nursing Health Human Resource Plan (HNHHRP) template. The applicant s information will be assessed based on the mandatory criteria outlined below, and an amount for which the hospital is eligible, if approved, will be calculated. Based on the amount of funding calculated upon acceptance of the application, 75% of the amount will be released to the hospital. Funds must be fully utilized by the employer within 12 months from the date of approval, and in accordance with the submitted HNHHRP. The application will be reconciled and the reconciled balance will be paid to the hospital: after completion of all education/training; 12 months after the date of approval, whichever comes first. 1 For more information about service changes, please refer to Q&A #2 in the NRF Questions & Answers document. 1 of 7

2 In the event that the reconciled balance is negative, the hospital will return all unused funds in accordance with the Funding Agreement. Funding Principles The Nursing Retention Fund was developed to provide bridging 2 for nurses in order to prevent layoffs/reduction of hours. The nurse being bridged is a nurse who, following a layoff at the workplace, elects and/or accepts an offer of enhanced retraining, the effect of which is either to avoid being laid off personally or to avoid the layoff of another nurse. 1. NRF funding will be available for the net number of positions being eliminated. Net number of positions is defined as the gross number of positions being eliminated minus the following: vacant positions eliminated; positions vacated through early retirement, voluntary and involuntary exit; those positions involving a skill mix change (a RN being replaced with a RPN and vice versa, or, a RN or a RPN being replaced with any other classification of health care provider); voluntary transfers from full-time status to part-time status or vice versa; and those positions for which another source of funding has already been received. Another source of funding may include but is not limited to the Nursing Graduate Guarantee (NGG) or the Nursing Education Initiative (NEI) Funding for salary continuance shall be as follows: In considering funding for salary continuance for full-time positions, the amount should be aligned with the salaries of the actual nurses being bridged, based on a 2 For a definition of bridging and example scenarios, please refer to Q&A #3. 3 For more information on other sources of funding, please refer to Q&A #6. 2 of 7

3 37.5 hour week or most appropriate number of hours as decided by the Management Committee; In considering funding for salary continuance for part-time positions, the amount should be aligned with the salaries of the actual nurses being bridged based on the most appropriate number of hours as decided by the Management Committee; In considering funding for pay in lieu of benefits for full time RNs and RPNs it shall be paid at a rate of 24% or the most appropriate rate as determined by the Management Committee; In considering funding for pay in lieu of benefits for part time RNs and RPNs it shall be paid at the actual in lieu rate, e.g. 9%, 13% or 14% or the most appropriate rate as determined by the Management Committee. Supporting Documentation: If nurses are unionized, applicants are asked to provide a current salary grid and documentation related to any negotiated increase pertinent to the application, as well as a copy of the Collective Agreement article with respect to the percentage in lieu of benefits. If nurses are non-unionized, applicants are asked to provide information on salaries/wages and percentage of pay in lieu of benefits pertinent to the application. 3. Funding for education/training shall be as follows: The education/training must be an enhanced retraining program provided to support all nurses to practice in the position to which they were bridged, and must not include the normal orientation period. In considering education funding, the actual cost of any enhanced retraining taken by the nurse who is being bridged shall be paid. This refers to external education/training or education/training provided internally by an external educator for which the hospital has paid a fee for service. The salary of the internal educator providing education as part of the usual capacity building of the public hospital is not funded. 3 of 7

4 Material resources required by the enhanced retraining program (textbooks, manuals, etc.) that the nurse is engaged in may qualify for funding as determined by the Management Committee. Eligibility Criteria for Funding All applications for the NRF will be assessed and evaluated based on established funding eligibility criteria as set out in the Ministry Agreement. Applications will be assessed on the following mandatory criteria: 1. The Applicant is a public hospital within the meaning of the Public Hospitals Act of the Province of Ontario. 2. Applications for funding must be received by February 15, Applications received after February 15, 2016 will not be considered. 3. The application form is complete with supporting documents. The applicant must submit a completed Hospital Nursing Health Human Resources Plan template with its funding application. The supporting documentation indicated in the above section Funding Principles 2. Funding for Salary Continuance is also required where applicable. 4. The funding application is based on a service change in accordance with the funding principles outlined above. 5. The application is for eligible nurses. An eligible nurse is a member in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario, who, following a layoff at the workplace, elects and/or accepts an offer of enhanced retraining, the effect of which is either to avoid being laid off personally or to avoid the layoff of another nurse. In either case, the nurse facing layoff must have received a layoff notice directly, or have been impacted as a result of the issuance of layoff notices. 6. The application is for eligible education costs. Eligible education costs are the costs of any enhanced retraining provided to support a nurse to practice in the position to which they were bridged as a result of a service change, and must not include the 4 of 7

5 normal orientation period. Material resources required by the enhanced retraining program are eligible education costs. The education must be recognized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, or as determined by the Management Committee. Internal resources utilized in the normal capacity building of the Hospital are not funded. 7. The Application is for eligible salary continuances. Eligible salary continuances are the salary or wages plus the percentage in lieu of benefits paid by a public hospital to the nurse being bridged. Salary continuance shall be paid for an eligible nurse for the duration of the enhanced retraining program up to and not exceeding 26 weeks (6 months). Salary continuance for education/training is only paid for training above and beyond the normal orientation a nurse receives when moving into a new position. 8. Representatives of the applicant s front line RNs and RPNs must confirm they were consulted and were a party to the discussion throughout the completion of the funding application with the applicant, to be evidenced in the following order and manner: a. If the applicant s frontline RNs or RPNs are represented by a union, the confirmation shall be signed by the president of the applicable bargaining unit; b. If the applicant s RNs are not represented by a union, the confirmation shall be signed on behalf of the applicant s RNs by an RNAO workplace liaison; c. If the applicant s RPNs are not represented by a union, the confirmation shall be signed on behalf of the applicant s RPNs by an RPNAO representative; and d. If either the applicant s RNs or RPNs are not represented by a nursing association, the confirmation shall be signed on behalf of the applicant s RNs and RPNs by a frontline representative of the Nursing Council on behalf of the applicant s RNs and RPNs. 9. Money is not being received from any other source. The applicant must certify as of the date of the funding application, that: a. No ministry funds are available to pay or reimburse the applicant for the cost of any service change set out in its Hospital Nursing Health Human Resource Plan; or 5 of 7

6 b. If ministry funds as described in the above are available, such funds are insufficient to pay or reimburse the applicant for cost of any service change set out in its Hospital Nursing Health Human Resources Plan. 10. The applicant must certify the use of any funding strictly in accordance with the funding application and as approved by the Management Committee. 11. The applicant must acknowledge the right of the Management Committee to recover: a. any funding not used for the purpose(s) set forth in the funding application as approved by the Management Committee, and b. an amount equivalent to that received from other sources for the same purpose(s), after the original application was submitted. 12. The applicant agrees to maintain documentation for the purposes of audit as required by the NRF auditing process, and shall provide all reports to the Management Committee, including reports relating to funding, in such form, and at such times, as the Management Committee shall require. 13. The applicant must agree to grant the Management Committee, its representatives, and professional advisors the right to enter upon the applicant s property, on 24 hours of notice during normal office hours to audit the applicant s use of funding. 14. The applicant must acknowledge the right of the Management Committee to recover any/all funding in the event of the applicant s false report. 15. The applicant shall indemnify, in the form of indemnity set out in the Funding Agreement, the Ministry, the members of the Management Committee, the Ontario Nurses Association, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario, and the directors, officers, employees, or volunteers of any of the above-mentioned entities, from any and all losses, claims, liabilities or demands made against the Ministry, the members of the Management Committee, the Ontario Nurses Association, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario, or any of them, by any person in any way related to: 6 of 7

7 a. The Hospital s funding application; b. The Hospital s use of funding; or c. The Hospital s implementation of the provisions of its funding application, including its Hospital Nursing Health Human Resources Plan, including the full costs of defending against such claims, liabilities and demands, and including legal costs on a solicitor and own client basis, and such indemnification shall survive the termination of the Funding Agreement. More information can be found on the Nursing Retention Fund website at: For further information contact: NRF Project Coordinator (direct line) ext. 220 [email protected] 7 of 7