For eight months, intensive care nurses at the LaSalle hospital have not been able to take a break or take the time to eat, due to a significant lack of employees. To temporarily resolve the situation, the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal is calling on volunteers in other areas of the hospital.
Since last May, two nurses have been responsible for the five beds in the intensive care unit at the LaSalle hospital. Faced with a significant staff shortage, the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal also closed three beds in the unit.
The situation, which was supposed to be temporary, is still continuing today, and the impacts are weighing heavily on the employees.
“Since May, intensive care nurses can no longer take a break or meal time, because it is impossible to leave the department and leave only one nurse for five patients”, denounces Johanne Riendeau, president of the Union of Health Care Professionals of the West Island of Montreal.
Seeing the situation continue, “intensive care nurses filed a complaint with the CNESST,” said Ms.me Riendeau.
The CNESST has confirmed to The Press having opened a file relating to intensive care at the LaSalle hospital in November 2022, without giving further details.
The CIUSSS confirms that this problem mainly affects evening and night shifts. “When the nurses cannot leave the unit to take their breaks, because we do not have the necessary nursing personnel to replace them, they are paid at time and a half,” indicated the publicist, Hélène Bergeron-Gamache.
Action plan
The CIUSSS maintains that it has implemented an action plan to respond to the issue of the shortage of nurses in intensive care, in particular by calling on volunteers in other sectors of the hospital.
The nurses in the operating theater refused this week to go to intensive care for a period of three months, fearing serious consequences on their own department, as well as “on their physical and psychological health”.
“After discussion among [tous] nurses and auxiliary nurses in the block […]there was mutual consensus that we categorically refuse travel to intensive care,” the nurses said in an email sent to executives on Wednesday, obtained by The Press.
For three years, these nurses have already lent a hand to various departments. “The exhaustion of recent years has weakened our team and it is essential to ensure the sustainability of our team and therefore prevent departures like us. [en avons observé] recently,” they argued in the email.
The CIUSSS is also considering recalling retired intensive care nurses and posting positions to add resources. “Rest assured that this situation is taken very seriously by our establishment and that we are in action to find lasting solutions to this problem and restore the situation as quickly as possible,” said Mr.me Bergeron-Gamache.
A request refused
To temporarily resolve the situation, the union offered to the managers of the LaSalle hospital who hold a permit from the Order of Nurses of Quebec (OIIQ) to come and replace the intensive care nurses during their breaks. “It’s twice 15 minutes, plus 45 minutes for dinner,” says M.me Riendeau. The request was denied, she said.
We do not understand why there is resistance on the employer’s side to managers coming to lend a hand. It’s as if it were less serious to move a nurse who is already overworked.
Johanne Riendeau, President of the Union of Healthcare Professionals of the West Island of Montreal
The shortage of personnel and the heavy traffic in the hospital affect many units. Currently, West Island ERs are very busy with 227 visits per day, which is significantly higher than the same period in previous years. These also show a higher occupancy rate than normal, currently at 159.3%.