(Quebec) The emergency room crisis at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital is not just about the work climate. It is also the result of too much traffic for the capacity of the facilities, which accentuated the shortage of personnel.
This is one of the conclusions of the mediator appointed by the Legault government to bring the union and management parties closer together last January, when around a hundred emergency nurses demanded the departure of their head of unit and threatened to resign in block.
The nurses deplored a toxic work climate and the multiplication of “compulsory overtime” (TSO) shifts.
The crisis was such that the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, intervened by appointing an “external” resource who could help find a way between the parties.
In the report obtained by The Press, the mediator of the Ministry of Labor, Lise Lavallée, sets out a series of measures to promote a better work climate, such as the appointment of a “neutral third party”. On the other hand, it concludes that actions must “first” be taken by the Legault government “to avoid the repetition of similar events”.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services must therefore continue “its actions” to reduce clinical pressure while increasing the number of nurses available in emergency and hospitalization services, she summarizes.
Without these actions, the other possible solutions will not make it possible to avoid other crises since the demand for care and services is clearly greater than the capacity of the nurses currently working in the emergency rooms on the east of the island.
Lise Lavallée, mediator for the Ministry of Labour, in her report
Indeed, M.me Lavallée quickly pinpointed the “imbalance” between the needs of the population served and the capacity of the facilities of the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (CEMTL), which exerted “increased clinical pressure daily on the teams.
“This pressure is one of the main sources of nurses leaving [du] CEMTL, including the retention of recruits, writes the mediator. It is also an important factor in the compulsory overtime worked by nurses. »
The CIUSSS provides care and services for 27% of the population of Montreal, but has 19% of the stretchers and 16% of the beds.
The mediator notes that, although the labor shortage is present throughout the health network, the problem is “particularly acute” in the sectors covered by the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Est. Île-de-Montréal, and more so in the emergency room of Maisonneuve-Rosemont.
More than 200 nurses left Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital (HMR) and Santa Cabrini Hospital during the first wave of the pandemic.
A “fundamental problem” to be solved
“We are satisfied to see that there is a significant awareness of the situation at HMR and that everyone wants to work together to solve the basic problem”, reacted Tuesday the office of Minister Christian Dubé. The minister undertakes to continue, as requested by the mediator, the efforts to reduce the clinical pressure on the hospital.
“We will also continue work on the basic problem to modernize HMR and offer more services around it, in particular with a mini-hospital,” a statement added.
In the wake of the crisis, ambulances were diverted to reduce volume. This measure has been renewed. Efforts have also been made to better communicate the options available to patients before going to the emergency room. A call for volunteers was also made.
We take note of the filing of the report and we would like to mention that a series of clinical measures related to the content of the report are already being applied.
Christian Merciari, Assistant to the President and CEO of the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal
The use of the TSO has decreased in recent weeks due to the accumulation of these measures, according to the union.
Diagnosis on the working climate
The union and the management have agreed to use the services of a “neutral and impartial third party” from the Ministry of Labor who will be able to carry out a more precise “diagnosis” of the situation in the emergency room of HMR and the organization of work.
“The important thing is that the members are at the heart of these negotiations. No matter how much I represent them, I cannot talk about the specific issue of emergencies like them, ”said the president of the Union of Care Professionals of the East-of-the-Island-of-Montreal. , Denis Cloutier.
We feel that there are things that are in motion.
Denis Cloutier, President of the Union of Care Professionals of the East-of-the-Island of Montreal
Mr. Dubé is also delighted that a third person can do “the complete diagnosis of the work climate and the solutions to be provided”.
In her report, Lise Lavallée also states that the parties, from the first meeting, agreed “on the importance of going beyond virtuous discourse in order to take action”.
She also highlights the ongoing discussions between the Treasury Board, management and the union towards the implementation of a pilot project aimed at reducing OSI by promoting “the attraction, retention and availability of professionals in care “.