WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre is announcing plans for increased security in its emergency room, as well as streamlined hiring practices, after the nurses union threatened to 'grey list' the province's largest hospital.
On Tuesday afternoon, executives at HSC met with media to address concerns raised by the Manitoba Nurses Union, which said insufficient staffing is leading bad working conditions.
The union said if nothing changes it would grey list the hospital, discouraging new nurses from taking a job there.
"We are still hopeful that we can get some respite for those nurses at HSC," said MNU President Darlene Jackson. "They are really, really struggling under workload, overtime, high patient acuity, lack of bed capacity; there are so many issues right now that are rapidly heading towards crisis at Health Sciences Centre and other ERs in the city."
HSC Chief Operating Officer Ronan Segrave said the hospital is moving forward with plans to put safety barriers up in the emergency department. Along with this, the centre said it's continuing to streamline its hiring process in efforts to bring on more employees.
Health Sciences Centre Chief Operating Officer Ronan Segrave addresses concerns raised by the Manitoba Nurses' Union on Jan. 7, 2020 in Winnipeg. (Source: CTV News Winnipeg)
Nursing vacancy rates at HSC are currently at 15.2 per cent according to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority as of Dec. 29, 2019.
The centre is currently hosting 75 nursing students according to HSC's Active Chief Nursing Officer Monika Warren, who said nursing programs in the province still view HSC as a desirable work placement.
Warren said it's difficult to pinpoint a reason behind the vacancy rates, but said the centre is currently assessing the situation.
She says she's heard from nurses about the challenges they are facing.
"I'm not going to undermine that is has been a challenging time for nurses, that's certainly what I'm hearing," Warren said. "But I am extremely committed to working with them on solutions."
As for the threat of grey listing, Segrave said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on why the union took this course of action, but said he is committed to working with the union to address the shared challenges.
"We all share one thing in common, and that’s the deep regard of passion and commitment shown by nursing staff in this hospital."
While acknowledging the sentiment is good, Jackson said the union has not seen any concrete action to address the nurses concerns.
"Nurses cannot sustain working in those conditions any longer," Jackson said. "The ball is in the employer's and the government's court right now. They need to make some very concrete solutions and moves to deal with some of these issues and it needs to be done quickly."
Jackson said it has not set a deadline for grey listing HSC, but it said it is still considering the move.
