The Royal is undertaking a workforce optimization initiative for select inpatient units in at its Carling campus to strengthen patient safety, better support staff, and modernize how care is delivered in a complex and evolving health-care environment.
Workforce optimization is a widely used best practice across hospitals. It focuses on ensuring the right mix of health-care professionals are providing care in the right place, at the right time -based on patient acuity rather than static staffing ratios or historical models.
“This work is about ensuring help is where it’s needed most,” said Linda Mohri, Senior Vice-President, Patient Care Services, The Royal. “By shifting from fixed staffing levels to a more flexible system based on patients’ needs, we can better ensure quality, patient safety and support staff wellbeing.”
Aligning care with real time patient needs
Historically, The Royal has not applied workforce optimization consistently across inpatient services. With evolving patient needs, systemwide pressures, and new clinical leadership in place, now is the right time to align staffing models with established best practice across the health-care system.
The current initiative is limited in scope and focuses on the Carling campus’ inpatient units. It includes nursing and support roles—such as Registered Nurses (RNs), Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs), and Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) —with impacts varying by unit and role.
Data driven analysis and peer benchmarking show opportunities to better align staffing with patient acuity and scope of practice. In some areas, this means correcting historical overstaffing where patient needs are lower, while ensuring high acuity areas have the support they need.
“This is not about fewer people - it’s about the right mix,” said Mohri. “Matching skills to patient needs helps reduce burnout, improve workload balance, and ensure care is delivered safely and effectively.”
Supporting staff through change
The Royal emphasizes that patient and staff safety are the primary drivers. This initiative is not a layoff announcement and is not primarily a cost-cutting exercise.
Under existing collective agreements, the organization is committed to a redeployment first approach, using vacancies, reassignment, retraining, retirements, and workforce planning tools to minimize involuntary job loss. Layoffs are a last resort.
The Royal is engaging directly with union partners, including ONA and CUPE, through in-person discussions focused on collaboration, mitigation strategies, and compliance with collective agreements.
“We understand that change can create uncertainty,” said Mohri. “That’s why we are communicating early, engaging unions meaningfully, and planning carefully to support staff throughout this process.”
Reinvestment in frontline care
Workforce optimization also includes reinvestment in roles that better reflect how care is delivered today. This includes the addition of RPN positions and other support roles that allow nurses to focus more fully on nursing care—an approach that has already shown positive results within other programs and services at The Royal.
Protecting patient care
Patient care will not be compromised by this work. On the contrary, aligning staffing with real-time patient needs strengthens safety, quality, and continuity of care.
“Dynamic, needs-based staffing helps ensure resources are available where clinical demand is highest,” said Mohri. “This is essential to delivering safe, sustainable care in a publicly funded health-care system.”
What happens next
As WFO is a standard practice, The Royal will embed this work into its standard management processes, supported by ongoing engagement with staff, unions, physicians, and health system partners. The Royal remains committed to transparency and will share updates as plans are finalized.
About The Royal
The Royal is one of Canada’s foremost mental illness and addiction treatment, research, and education hospitals, dedicated to supporting individuals aged 16 and older who are living with complex mental illness and addiction. Since opening in 1910, The Royal has grown into a trusted resource for people across eastern and northern Ontario, western Quebec, and Nunavut.
With campuses in Ottawa and Brockville, and clinical teams working directly in homes and communities, The Royal delivers compassionate, evidence-informed care grounded in cutting-edge research, including through its partnership with the University of Ottawa and other academic and community partners. Its integrated model brings together care, research, education, and strategic partnerships to help build a future of recovery.
At The Royal, we separate the person from the illness, helping more people reclaim their lives.
Media contact
Alyssa Nader, Communications Specialist, The Royal, anader@theroyal.ca
