Specialized medical-surgical registered nurses at Campbellford Memorial Hospital have taken the rare step of calling in an independent assessment committee (IAC) to investigate issues in the rural hospital’s inpatient medical unit and special care unit, according to their union.
On Friday, the Ontario Nurses’ Association announced an IAC hearing will be held June 26, 29 and 30, stating the nurses at the hospital 50 kilometres southeast of Peterborough have “repeatedly raised serious concerns” with management and received no resolution.
ONA president Erin Ariss says a panel of nursing experts will hear evidence from the inpatient unit registered nurses, who will cite concerns about how “inadequate” staffing and skill levels are affecting patient care at the aging facility in the Municipality of Trent Hills.
“Our highly educated and skilled RNs have consistently provided written documentation to this employer, outlining the impact of inadequate RN staffing and imbalanced skill mix levels on their ability to provide safe, ethical quality care for their patients,” said Ariss, an RN.
“Campbellford Memorial Hospital has failed to address these issues and the RNs remain gravely concerned, not only for the safety of their patients, but also about their ability to meet their professional standards due to insufficient RN staffing levels.”
Ariss says the hospital in February changed its nursing model, which resulted in the layoff of four RN positions and reduced RN resources for the inpatient unit.
Last fall, the hospital terminated two RN positions and created two “float” positions to serve various roles, which the ONA scrutinized.
In response, the hospital on Friday told Global News that in February it transitioned four lines or shifts from the inpatient unit pool to its newly created float pool that “did not result in a reduction in the overall number of nurses employed at CMH.”
However, Ariss says the issues have been mounting since 2017.
“The employer disregarded the mounting reports of ongoing staffing and acuity issues consistently raised by our RNs since 2017,” said Ariss.
“Campbellford Memorial is the primary hospital caring for patients in a more than 100-kilometre radius — this community relies on safe, quality care from their hospital and deserves no less.”
The ONA calls the hearing a “last resort” when RNs and management have been unable internally to resolve workload concerns.
The panel is expected to determine whether the RNs are being assigned more work that is consistent with the provision of proper patient care and could then make recommendations, the ONA states.
In a statement to Global News, the hospital said like many hospitals in Ontario, it has felt the impacts of “ongoing health human resources crisis.”
“And we have been actively recruiting to help mitigate those impacts here in Campbellford,” the hospital stated. “This includes the implementation of an enhanced employee referral program and developing new targeted strategies aimed at attracting new graduates.
“We are looking forward to participating in the upcoming committee hearing and are committed to working closely with ONA to address their concerns. We appreciate the opportunity to address these matters and to reaffirm our commitment to the well-being of our patients, staff, and the community we serve.”
The hospital says it “deeply values” the contributions of all of its nurses, calling them the “backbone” of the healthcare system. The hospital say nurses play a “crucial role” in providing quality of care at the hospital, noting that patient care was recently recognized after receiving an Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada — the highest designation awarded to healthcare organizations.
“We’re also investing over $13 million from the provincial government to upgrade our HVAC and generator systems, improving the hospital’s infrastructure and ensuring a high-quality environment for patients and staff,” the hospital stated. “We remain committed to delivering outstanding healthcare services to our community.”
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