Workforce Planning Review Final Report

Section 1

Meridian Advisory · Confidential · Synthetic demonstration document — fictional client

Workforce Planning Review — Final Report

Client: Cedar Health Network · Engagement: Workforce planning review · Issued: 31 July 2026 · Engagement partner: Maya Chen

Section 2

1. Executive summary

Agency nursing spend at Cedar Health Network reached C$38 million in 2025, up from C$11 million in 2022. Registered nurse vacancy rates average 12%, peaking at 19% in critical care. Overtime accounts for 9% of paid nursing hours.

We recommend an internal float pool, a 24-month international recruitment pathway and self-scheduling. Together these are expected to reduce agency spend by C$17 million a year by 2028.

Section 3

2. Findings

Measure | 2022 | 2025

Agency nursing spend | C$11M | C$38M

RN vacancy rate | 7% | 12%

Overtime share of paid hours | 5% | 9%

Section 4

3. Recommendations

Float pool of 120 full-time nurses covering medicine, surgery and critical care. International recruitment of 80 nurses a year with a bridging programme. Self-scheduling to improve retention, with turnover in the first two years of employment as the main measure.