Staff shortage has HSC emergency department calling for nurses
The emergency department at the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) is facing a staffing crunch over the next couple of days.
“This is a big issue and it's seems to be escalating and getting worse all the time," said MNU President Darlene Jackson.
Shared Health tells CTV News the ER department at HSC is projecting what it calls "staffing challenges" this weekend.
The Manitoba Nurses Union says the baseline for nurses in the emergency department at HSC is 24. President Darlene Jackson says the facility may be down to only eight nurses available for Friday night, two thirds below that base level.
"I think that the staff tonight are going to work very hard, probably with no breaks, and I believe the wait times are going to be very, very long tonight," said Jackson.
There is also a concern that many beds will be unavailable with that many nursing vacancies.
Shared Health did not provide numbers of how many beds may be unavailable or how many nurses the department may be short. But in a statement it did say the hospital is putting out a call for full and part-time nurses to fill shifts, asking those already working to do overtime, and reassigning critical care nurses to the emergency department.
"These efforts to fill shifts will continue throughout the weekend. However, we do anticipate there will be some impact to patient flow as well as longer wait times for lower-acuity patients. The public should be assured that the sickest and most injured patients continue to be prioritized upon arrival in our ED to ensure they get the care they need with zero to minimal wait.”
Shared Health also says these nurse vacancies mirror national trends and says the staffing issues are more of a problem this summer on weekends, particularly in the evenings and overnight.
The Manitoba Nurses Union says more nurses are leaving the public sector and going to private agencies for better pay and hours.
Shared Health says a number of initiatives are underway to recruit and retain nurses, including financial incentives.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.