Davidson, Sask., nurses worry staffing levels will leave patients suffering
Registered nurses in Davidson, Sask., are voicing their concerns about staffing levels at the community's health centre.
"Not everyone utilizes the hospital so not everyone's aware of what's going on," said Lindsay Cross, an RN who recently went before town council to talk about the staffing.
Currently, the Davidson Health Centre operates with RNs working two shifts — a 12-hour day shift and a 12-hour night shift. One RN is on staff during each of those shifts.
"What we would advocate for — we really do need two nurses on at all times."
The number of nurses has been a concern for some time, Cross explained, prompting her and colleagues to write a letter to the health minister nearly a year ago.
Cross said since then, staffing has gotten even worse.
The health centre has 30 long-term care beds, eight acute respite beds and an emergency department. With two new physicians in the centre bringing an influx in patients, senior RN Audrey Hamm said she and her colleagues are feeling desperate.
"We weren't able to cover shifts, ending up going into service disruption. Also, our shifts were getting longer and longer and longer because we just weren't able to complete the work load in the 12-hour shift."
Hamm said it got to the point where the patients themselves were starting to complain.
"There's times where I've spent eight hours in [emergency] and I have multiple patients there and I'm running constantly, and my acute care patients in the hospital are not being assessed, are not being given their medications on time because of the workload — because you can't physically be in both places at the same time."
More positions being filled
The Heartland Health Region said there is currently a full-time temporary position and a three-quarter relief position that are currently vacant, but being filled.
The region confirmed there was another vacant position which is no longer being posted.
Gayle Riendeau, vice president of health services and acting CEO, said there is a process they have to follow when RNs voice concerns that allows them to work collaboratively to solve the problem.
Riendeau said that process is currently underway. However, she said the final result may not be adding more staff.
"Sometimes the answer is more, sometimes the answer is doing things differently and in different ways and using the full scope of practice of all of the providers that you have on site."
Riendeau said the elimination of the one vacant position was not a cost-saving measure.
Both Cross and Hamm said they hope patients aren't the ones who end up suffering due to staffing levels.
"Because of the number of patients that we're seeing, we're just not able to dedicate the amount of time we need to give safe patient care. That is our primary objective and, you know what, in the end, that's what the health region's objective is as well … but we can't safely do that with only one nurse on duty per shift," Hamm said.
