United Nurses of Alberta says the province needs to boost the resources, and hospital beds, for mental health to avoid more deaths and more suffering.
“Specialized hospital beds and psych units are an important component of a good mental health system,” says UNA President Heather Smith. “The death of a suicidal patient at the Rockyview who was on a regular unit rather than a specialized psychiatric unit highlights how short of beds we are,” she says.
Nurses say that over-extended psychiatric units in many of our urban hospitals push patients all too often into regular unit beds. Many mental health patients who need to be admitted may not be. Many are discharged before they are ready.
“The experts and reports all highlight the fact we need more in-patient, acute, mental health beds in the province. We need Alberta Hospital Edmonton redeveloped and expanded,” Heather Smith says.
Comments on psychiatric bed capacity from nurses across Alberta:
Nurse from a small hospital in southern Alberta:
“We often admit psych patients as Lethbridge refuses to take them as they say they are full. These people can be suicidal - with a plan to kill themselves - or people with depression and bipolar patients who are having manic episodes. They definitely fall through the cracks and don't get the best care as we are not set up to provide therapy programs, safe rooms, and security. This happens almost weekly for us. I admitted a suicidal patient just this week.”
From a nurse in central Alberta
“We in our rural facility often admit psychiatric patients. We have no security, no locked rooms, no ability to monitor them for their safety and ours, and we have no specific training in psychiatric nursing. We often try to transfer patients to the city and are told there "are no beds". We either keep them until there is a bed, or end up discharging them prematurely with no supports in place. It’s something we live with all the time, and I worry when I am on shift and they are admitted here. It certainly isn't the best place for the patient at all. This tragedy that occurred at the Rockyview in Calgary, could certainly happen in many other places.”
A nurse in northern Alberta
“Our psychiatric unit remains closed and there are always patients admitted to the medical unit. One escaped and punched a young girl, another patient jumped out of the second floor window. The list goes on. We have met with our minister regarding the psych unit but to no avail.”
A Calgary nurse
“It is quite common for psych patients to be admitted to medical units and sometimes surgical units as well. An empty bed is an empty bed and our psych unit seldom has one. Most of the over doses go to medical units until they are medically fit to go to psych and even the attempted suicides do too. It is very difficult to monitor these patients as they should be. They usually might get a daily visit from the psychiatrist but certainly no counseling. How often does it happen? Regularly I suspect.”
A Calgary community nurse
“Not only are mental health clients being placed in regular beds, they are being inappropriately discharged to lodges, where we can't adequately care for them. When we run into problems, there are no psychiatrists who will see them and no way to get them help when they refuse to go to their day programs. They end up being taken out of the lodge in four-point restraints by police and EMS. We are having a lot of problems in the community.” |
