Nurses decry cuts to quality care at Royal Inland Hospital
Loss of specialty nursing care plus more OR cuts put vulnerable Kamloops area patients at risk
The growing list of deficit-driven cuts in BC's healthcare services continues to be revealed. Today BC Nurses' Union President Debra McPherson exposed some of the impacts that cuts and loss of programs will have in the Kamloops area.
"The Interior Health Authority plans to delete two specialty nurse positions who work with phlebotomy, colposcopy and cancer patients," said Debra McPherson, President of the BC Nurses' Union. "Losing the unique services provided by these specialty nurses will mean that already vulnerable people may now face delays and have to travel to receive services that were once provided locally."
The union believes the significant continuity of care that patients receive from a nurse who is able to review cases over time and assess patterns or issues of concern, leading to the early interventions that often saves lives, is being lost. The lack of consultation and nursing input to these changes is another concern for BCNU.
"Nurses were completely left out of any decision-making process. This contributes to a culture of fear and intimidation as nurses face job uncertainty," said BCNU Thompson North Okanagan Regional Chair Deb Ducharme. "There is no plan in place to deal with the cuts, just one department being told to move patients to another department."
"Ambulatory care will be asked to pick up services previously provided by specialty nurses, while cutting endoscopy time by 20 percent," continued Ducharme. "With the existing waitlist for endoscopy services, this cut will certainly have a negative impact in Kamloops and the surrounding areas."
Royal Inland Hospital is also cutting the second evening ER OR room on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays every week. Nurses say this cut is shortsighted and will be felt acutely in Kamloops and the rural areas it services.
"The cuts to healthcare services in Kamloops and the surrounding region will end up costing more in the long run," added McPherson. "The totality of the cuts across the province is becoming clearer, and nurses are appalled by what they see happening to programs for their patients."
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