Nurses start bargaining: Protecting patient safety
is their top priority
They're seeking measures to ensure patients have enough nurses
to provide high quality care. Survey shows serious understaffing
problems in hospitals, long term care and in the community
Ensuring the safety of patients in BC's healthcare facilities is the priority for nurses, as they began bargaining this week for a new contract with the province's health authorities.
"It's all about providing safe staffing to ensure safe patient care," says Debra McPherson, President of the BC Nurses' Union. "Our goal at the bargaining table is to achieve ways to ensure patients have enough nurses on the job so they can receive safe and high quality care."
The nurses wrapped up the first two days of preliminary bargaining discussions with health employers yesterday (January 25). Bargaining will continue for two weeks beginning February 20.
Problems with patient safety and understaffing have been in the spotlight recently, as nurses have been forced to care for patients in hospital hallways, lounges and other areas not appropriate for patient care, including a hospital coffee shop. Health employers rarely provide more nurses to handle these increasingly difficult caring conditions.
"The pervasive understaffing that affects the safety of patients has become intolerable. Health employers need to recognize the severity of the problem and take action to address it at the bargaining table." McPherson says.
In a province wide survey last spring, a majority of BCNU members reported that normal nurse staffing levels are not adequate for the number of patients for whom they are required to provide care in hospitals, in community services and in long term care nursing homes. The concern is particularly overwhelming in hospital emergency wards, on medical units, in long term care and for case managers trying to find appropriate services for clients in the community. Members say that for much of the time, managers aren't even meeting their inadequate normal staffing levels.
In the survey, members put patient safety and safe staffing at the top of their priority list for bargaining. They also want job security for nurses, at a time when health authorities have been cutting back nursing staff to save money, failing to hire new nursing graduates into full-time positions, and refusing to backfill nurses who are off sick or on vacation.
BCNU is the largest union in the Nurses' Bargaining Association, which also includes the Union of Psychiatric Nurses and the Health Sciences Association.
The provincial contract covering more than 30,000 nurses expires March 31, 2012.
|
