Frédéric is a nurse and worked in one of the psychiatric clinics of the Clinea group in Lyon for more than 7 years. He agreed to share his experience. The main problem he raises is the lack of staff. “In my department, there are two nurses for 21 patients, even one nurse for 21 patients“, he laments. “And you have to know that in psychiatry, an anxiety attack in one patient will have repercussions on other patients..”
Also, in addition to the lack of staff, there is a turnover of CDD which is very important. “I stayed on a fixed-term contract for 17 months and over these 17 months on a fixed-term contract, I had a total of 89 different fixed-term contracts“, develops Frédéric. After 17 months, he obtained a CDI. This problem of turnover linked to the multiplication of fixed-term contracts in the services, Victor Castanet already pointed it out in his book “The Gravediggers“, dedicated to the Ehpad of the Orpea group. And here is how Jean-Christophe Romersi, the general manager of the Orpea group, justified himself during his hearing at the National Assembly.: “It was this person’s wish not to have a permanent contract and my wish was to stabilize the team..”
The Orpea group, in addition to nursing homes, is therefore psychiatric clinics but also follow-up care and rehabilitation clinics. Also, there is the question of the cost of stays for patients. In the establishment where Frédéric worked, the basic price of a room is 140 euros per day. In its service, dedicated to students, the daily rate goes up to 220 euros. There are even categories of rooms at 365 euros per day. To avoid leaving any beds vacant, ineligible patients may still be admitted. “And there, as much to tell you that it also comes to interfere in the care and in the services. If we have a patient who is very sick, where the pathology is very advanced, it becomes complicated to manage when we are in such a small workforce“, criticizes the caregiver.
Frédéric is now in legal proceedings against his former employer, after being dismissed for a reason he considers abusive. This dismissal came a few months after he initiated the first strike movement within his establishment.