AHS switches to meeting budget demands rather than patient needs Alberta now has “too many nurses”
In a massive switch from recruiting nurses to meet patient needs, Alberta Health Services is now limiting hiring to meet budget needs.
“With moves like OR closures, and restricted hiring we are witnessing a significant budget choke back on our health system. We are going from a system that struggles to keep up with demand, to services that are reduced even further. Albertans are going to feel the effects in their care,” says UNA President Heather Smith.
It has become clear that new CEO Stephen Duckett, an economist, is planning to meet government budget targets rather than the needs of Albertans.
In a May 5th memo, Duckett says “...we do not yet fully know the extent of our budget challenge we do know that we will not be able to address it without some impact on staffing.”
UNA representatives met with Dr. Duckett on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday, during National Nurses Week. President Heather Smith and others wanted to discuss the AHS Strategic Plan and to ask why it singled out cuts in nurse staffing.
Duckett was clear that RN/RPN staffing would be reduced and they would attempt to do this through attrition and if possible avoid layoffs. “This is a cold message to send to nurses who have done so much to keep our health services running,” says Heather Smith. “Our system still needs all the RNs and LPNs we can get. But AHS seems to want to pit nurses against each other.”
Dr. Duckett told UNA there are too many RNs in acute care. But as recently as last December the government’s own Vision 2020 said there is a current shortage of 1,500 RNs and Alberta’s Occupational Demand and Supply Outlook, 2008 - 2018 projects an increasing shortage in coming years.
Duckett also told UNA that a new “awful” budget will be released in July.
“Dr. Duckett is apparently quite ready to do the government’s dirty work in cutting our public health system,” says Heather Smith. “Albertans are already upset that health care is struggling to keep up with need. By all indications, they are going to be even more upset when the full impact of the budget cuts hits home.” |
