PrintHealth department review of home care and nursing homes must not downgrade role of RNs
The Alberta government is asking for public input on the province’s nursing homes and home care legislation. Two public surveys are now online for Albertans to share their thoughts and provide feedback as the province updates regulations for long-term care facilities and home care services.
UNA members are encouraged to complete the public surveys, which will be available online until midnight on July 31, 2016.
It is vitally important the provincial health department’s ongoing review of legislation governing nursing homes and home care in Alberta not be used by interest groups to lobby for the reduction of the registered nursing workforce in these health care settings.
United Nurses of Alberta is deeply concerned that groups such as corporate nursing home operators, regulators for other groups of health employees and senior government bureaucrats still influenced by previous governments’ philosophies are using the review now being conducted for the province by a market research company to downgrade the role of RNs reduce RN numbers in the health care system.
The value of RNs in health care has been thoroughly researched and is well understood. Research over many years confirms and continues to confirm that knowledgeable, expert, educated and regulated registered nurses have a positive impact on the quality and cost of patient care.
The presence of members of the regulated registered nursing profession in the health-care system is known to:
- Prevent hospital deaths
- Reduce hospital infections
- Shorten wait times
- Shorten hospital stays
- Improve the health of long-term care residents
- Control health-care costs
Links to many examples of this research can be found at YourRN.ca.
UNA will vigorously draw its concerns and those of its more than 30,000 members to the attention of the government to ensure that the valued role of registered nurses remains part of the legislative framework governing nursing homes and home care in Alberta and that Albertans continue to benefit from the advantages of that approach.
