Nurses sound alarm for patient care in VIHA's new ER
Without enough ER-trained nurses the new and larger ER at Victoria General Hospital could see quality of care deteriorate and wait times increase
While VIHA and government dignitaries set out to tour Vic General's shiny new ER facility with great fanfare this week, and swing the doors open for the public on September 21, the BC Nurses' Union has learned that nurses' calls for adequate ER staffing are not being addressed.
In a recent meeting with the ER nurses BCNU Regional Co-Chairs Ronni McCallum and Jill Karleen were very concerned to hear that although nurses are already short-staffed, they are receiving no assurances that the new expanded ER will increase nursing staff to a level that can appropriately service the busy ER and trauma centre.
"Nurses told us that they are extremely worried about their ability to provide safe care according to their standards if their call to bring back at least one ER RN 24/7 goes unheeded," said McCallum.
"A year ago two nursing positions were cut and a new process of caring for patients was introduced, which meant that each nurse had to care for more patients. Neither the RN nor an LPN position was restored. This summer an additional two RN positions were cut, which has resulted in the nurses feeling they are unable to cope with the care needs of their patients. It's hard to imagine what could happen if this situation isn't addressed immediately especially with three to four additional ER beds in the new site."
Jill Karleen, Co-Chair of BCNU's South Islands Region, is worried about the ability of the facility to keep the ER nurses they have and find new ones if this isn't dealt with. "Over a dozen ER RNs and one LPN have left the unit in the past year," said Karleen. "The worry and concern they felt about not being able to provide the kind of care patients need likely played a part. By imposing workloads where nurses don't get a break and feel excessive stress every day VIHA is sending a clear message that ER nursing staff aren't valued. We intend to support the remaining ER nurses over the next few weeks as they make their demands for safe quality patient care known through a sticker and public information campaign."
At a minimum the Victoria General ER nurses are calling for the immediate return of one ER-trained RN 24/7. After everyone has had the opportunity to assess the new and expanded ER the nurses want to review what staffing and other supports are required to ensure the provision of safe quality care in a timely fashion.
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