Staffing crunch hits several Ontario hospitals hard, nurses union raises concerns
Several Ontario hospitals were reducing service in certain areas over the long weekend due to staff shortages as an Ontario nurses union called on the province to tackle what it called an alarming situation.
Emergency departments were to be closed at the Wingham and District Hospital from Saturday evening until early Sunday and at the Listowel Memorial Hospital for much of the day Sunday. In Huron County, the Seaforth Community Hospital said it would temporarily close its ER overnight because it was running short-staffed.
In Bowmanville, Ont., the local hospital was temporarily closing its critical care unit due a staffing crunch. Lakeridge Health, which runs the site and four other hospitals in Durham Region, said staff from its Bowmanville facility would be consolidated at critical care sites at its Ajax Pickering and Oshawa hospitals.
In Orangeville, Ont., the Headwaters Health Care Centre said it was redirecting obstetrical services from Thursday until Monday due to a lack of pediatrician coverage. It said there were protocols in place to support patients if they come to the hospital in labour.
The Ontario Nurses' Association said it had heard from members about staffing shortages affecting more than a dozen hospitals in a variety of ways ahead of the long weekend.
“They're either closures, reduction of beds, that they are redirecting patients, things like that,” association president Cathryn Hoy said in an interview on Friday.
Hoy said her union was “alarmed” about the impact a shortage of nurses is having on patient care in Ontario, and called on the government to meet with health-care unions to discuss solutions.
“We cannot wait any longer to resolve this crisis that is harming Ontarians and their access to health care,” Hoy said.
Hospitals across Ontario have grappled with staffing-related strain in recent weeks, with some having to temporarily close emergency rooms while others have had to rely on redeployed staff and students to cover shifts.
As examples of solutions to the crisis, Hoy suggested ensuring internationally trained nurses are licensed more quickly to work in the province and fast-tracking a program to help registered practical nurses become registered nurses.
Nurses are also looking for more guaranteed access to personal protective equipment, she added, as exhausted workers face continued COVID-19 risk during a seventh wave of infections with few public health measures in place to mitigate spread.
There must also be incentives to bring back retired nurses who will be needed to train new graduates and nurses trained outside Ontario, Hoy said. She suggested repealing legislation that caps wage increases at one per cent annually to attract workers to the field.
The government said hospitals are expected to have plans in place to mitigate risk to patient care when departments are closed.
Those plans must include communication with the public about the reductions and alternate options for care, staff assigned to greet patients who aren't aware of an emergency department closure, a process for in-patient coverage and a staffed ambulance on standby at the closed emergency department if possible.
A spokesman for Health Minister Sylvia Jones declined an interview request from The Canadian Press on Friday, but provided a written statement from Jones that said the province is working with “all partners” including hospitals and unions to address “the challenge of maintaining the required staffing levels.”
She pointed to previous government efforts to shore up staffing levels including hiring internationally educated nurses and expanding a summer physician locum program that matches doctors with hospitals in need of help.
“We have an ambitious plan for the largest health-care recruitment and training initiative in the province's history, which is already starting to see results,” Jones' statement said.
Jones has rarely spoken to the media since she was sworn in to the health minister role last month. Critics have been calling for her to take on a more public leadership role in discussing the crisis in the province's hospitals and the government's planned response to it.
Those calls were repeated by the Opposition New Democrats on Friday amid news of the Ontario Nurses' Association's estimated closures.
“Where is Ontario's Health Minister Sylvia Jones?” health critic France Gelinas said in a written statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.