Prince Edward Home to Lose Eight Registered Nurses by Spring of Next Year

January 6, 2012

 

 

Charlottetown - The Prince Edward Island Nurses’ Union (PEINU) is very concerned that there could be a negative impact on the quality of patient care following Health PEI’s decision to cut numerous registered nursing positions at the Prince Edward Home. The 128 bed health care facility provides Palliative Care; Convalescent/Restorative Care; Respite Care; and Long-Term Nursing Home Care for residents of the Province.

 

Health PEI management told nursing staff this week that they are cutting 9.8 full-time equivalent registered nursing positions at Prince Edward Home by the Spring of 2013, declaring them “surplus”. The implementation of this reduction by the Spring of next year will mean the health care facility will go from having 19.9 full-time equivalent RN positions to 9.8 and will force 8 registered nurses to find work elsewhere in the system.

 

“We know that there truly isn't a surplus,” says PEINU President, Mona O’Shea, RN. “Registered Nurses are being replaced by other health care providers. The union believes that patients and families really need every RN position they have now at Prince Edward Home and that this decision is extremely ill-advised.”

The elimination of RN positions across PEI has negatively impacted RN workload and has increased over-time hours.

 

“These cuts to the RN complement follow a pattern that registered nurses know only too well,” says O’Shea referring to changes made under the government’s new Model of Care. “Research shows that every full-time RN cut represents 1,950 hours per year of patient care, and that patients will suffer an increased risk of developing complications and even death when workloads for RNs increase.”

 

“As the province is continually faced with a nursing shortage, it is completely unacceptable to be cutting any registered nursing positions, leaving fewer staff to cope with heavy patient volumes and make critical decisions”, adds O’Shea. “The government really needs to take a hard look at how cutting these RN positions will impact registered nurses and the quality of care for Islanders requiring these services”.

 

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For more information, please contact:

Melanie Taylor

Communications, Education & Research Officer

(902) 892-0311

The PEI Nurses’ Union represents approx. 1200 Island Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners