The demonstration projects: creating the capacity for nursing health human resource planning in Ontario's healthcare organizations.

Timely access to healthcare services requires the right number, mix and distribution of appropriately educated nurses, physicians and other healthcare professionals. In Ontario, as in several other jurisdictions, changing demographics, patterns of health service utilization and an aging workforce have created challenges related to the supply of nurses available now and in the future to deliver quality patient care. From 2006 to 2009, the Nursing Secretariat (NS) of Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (the ministry) undertook a progressive and comprehensive approach to address the issue of nursing supply across the province through the introduction of 17 Nursing Health Human Resources Demonstration Projects (demonstration projects). The demonstration projects initiative has led to the creation of a unique collection of best practices, tools and resources aimed at improving organizational planning capacity. Evaluation of the initiative generated recommendations that may guide the ministry toward policy and program development to foster improved nursing health human resource planning capacity in Ontario healthcare organizations.