B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne says a recent review of health authorities has resulted in 1,100 layoffs, leading to millions in savings.
Osborne told media in Victoria Wednesday (Dec. 3) that the jobs that have been “eliminated, or vacated, or closed” by the health authorities are expected to save $60 million for the next fiscal year, while “other measures” have already resulted in savings of $260 million for this fiscal year.
“This is about using funds as efficiently as possible, about getting the most value out of each and every dollar,” Osborne said.
She added that she does “want to be sensitive to the fact that there will be changes.”
The government had directed a review of the five health authorities and the Provincial Health Services Authority in the spring to find “better ways to be more efficient (and) to make sure that every single dollar possible goes to the front line to deliver patient care,” Osborne said.
The health minister said “interim expenditure management work” has been ongoing.
The review is still continuing, she said, and is moving into the final stages.
“We didn’t wait for the review to be completed before the health boards were directed to start this work.”
Osborne said nearly 20,000 workers attended town halls and 15,000 workers completed surveys throughout the summer.
“What we heard was the need to remove bottlenecks, to reduce redundancies, strengthen supports and create better consistency, coordination and accountability.”
Moving ahead with ‘shared services organization’
She said part of what was heard in the review is that the Provincial Health Services Authority does provide some shared services to the regional health authorities, but not every health authority has opted in to join these services.
“The result is there are duplicated services that contribute to inconsistencies and inefficiencies across the health system.”
That has led to the province planning to move ahead with a “shared services organization” that will streamline administrative services, improve consistency and coordination and promote the sharing of ideas and best practices across different regions of the province, Osborne.
She said it’s a standalone organization that is expected to be established in the spring 2026.