Frustrated by the deteriorating conditions at their hospital and aghast at the recently announced job cuts, health care workers at Bruyere held a rally outside the Saint-Vincent hospital site on Monday, March 23. Over 100 people attended the rally including CUPE hospital workers from other locals in the region.
In response to a budget deficit, the hospital is eliminating 55 positions: 46 personal support workers and nine registered practical nurses.
“There is no room for staffing cuts at Bruyere,” said Douglas Currier, the president of CUPE 4540, representing more than 800 workers at Bruyere. “We will do everything we can to not only avoid layoffs, but to improve staffing ratios and the quality of care because that’s what our community deserves. We are sending a message to the Ford government: it’s time to stop the cuts and fund our hospital services.”
The government’s fall economic statement shows a plan to cut funding in real terms by 10 per cent, according to CUPE. In October, the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario projected a reduction in 9,000 nursing and PSW positions by 2027-28 based on the government’s spending plan. CUPE estimates 725 of those jobs would be eliminated in Ottawa, including the cuts at Bruyere.
Currier said eliminating 46 PCAs would increase for undermine patient hygiene and safety and increase workloads for nurses who are already embattled by short-staffing – and facing cuts to their own staff complement. PCAs are responsible for providing personal support services including bathing and toileting patients while also aiding nurses in providing medical care.
“The current PCA staffing levels are not good enough to meet patients’ needs in a timely manner,” he said. “What happens after these cuts, who is going to make sure patients are toileted and bathed on time? How about safety during code blues and code whites, when nurses are mobilized off the unit – who looks after patients at risk of falling?”
Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, blamed the provincial government for cutting hospital funding at the expense of vulnerable patients and dedicated health care workers.
“The people in this community have come to rely on Bruyere for world-class care,” he said. “Patients are going to suffer consequences of depleted workforce, including higher rates of medical errors, hospital acquired infections and other very serious repercussions.”