EWMSC nurses to stage silent protest on Nov 7

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Registered Nurses Association (TTRNA) Idi Stuart has called on nursing personnel to join the association for an hour of silent walkabout to protest working conditions at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope on November 7.

In a video posted to social media on November 3, Stuart addressed concerns the association found after visiting the medical institution earlier that day. He also addressed a media release by the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) on November 2 which said that it categorically denied claims by the association about chronic staffing issues at the hospital, particularly on November 1.

The NCRHA said on November 1, four wards operated with one registered nurse instead of two due to unexpected absenteeism, but all other wards maintained a satisfactory nurse-to-patient ratio, fully consistent with the authority’s established operational and clinical standards.

The NCRHA described the TTRNA’s allegations that a staffing issue existed as “reckless, inaccurate and misleading,” but admitted there was a staff shortage on November 1.

It did not provide the ratio but said it was “fully consistent with the authority’s established operational and clinical standards.”

While international standards vary depending on the type of ward and the country, hospitals in Singapore, Australia, the US and the UK cite a ratio of one nurse to four or five patients as acceptable with a 1:8 ratio the absolute safe minimum.

Studies published on the US National Library of Medicine’s website noted staffing ratios in low/middle-income countries (LMICs) might be as low as 1 nurse caring for over 25 patients.

Other studies warned however inadequate staffing ratios lead to higher rates of in-hospital deaths, infections, falls, missed care, and adverse events.

NCRHA, though, said it was “false, irresponsible, and unacceptable” to suggest that patient care or safety was in any way compromised and added the delivery of safe, professional, and compassionate care remains its highest priority.

“Patients and their families can have full confidence that every NCRHA institution continues to provide high-quality, efficient, and cost-effective health care, delivered by teams of committed doctors, nurses, and support staff who work diligently every day in service of the nation.”

In Stuart’s 32-minute video, he said he received numerous calls from members who spoke of how poorly staffed the institutions were at the NCRHA.

He said members have complained told him about not getting relief from duties.

Stuart said NCRHA has been short-staffed for some time but it grew worse over the last few months.

Stuart said one the reasons it grew worse was because the authority slashed the budget it would use to hire supplemental nurses; the authority refusing to pay nursing personnel overtime; and it is not hiring registered nurses.

He claimed that there was a merit list for entry-level positions in which interviewees are ranked and told that there aren’t any vacancies. He added that they were told after six months that their application would be discarded and they could reapply.

He said he observed severe staff shortage at the institution during his visit.

He asked how a head nurse could make a working roster with just eight to 11 nurses to cover three shifts for 30 days in a month.

The association questioned how recently appointed NCRHA chairman Dr Tim Gopeesingh could say that the institution was appropriately staffed.

In its release the authority said there were 893 nursing positions at the NCRHA and all were filled. It added that it advertised 345 vacancies for Enrolled Nursing Assistants (ENA) to further support frontline nursing services. It said despite proactive effort, only 34 qualified applicants were successfully interviewed and now being appointed to their respective positions.

He said the authority’s satisfactory nurse-to-patient ratio is one registered nurse (RN) and one patient care assistant (PCA) or two RNs.

There are wards at the NCRHA with 34 beds.

“We want this issue fixed once and for all,” Stuart said. He added that the association had these battles before and said they battled former CEO Davlin Thomas about this as well.

He called on all nurses in Mt Hope Women’s, Caura, and at EWMSC to gather at the latter institution’s foyer where they would silently walk around the compound to show their dissatisfaction with the situation.

TTRNA warned nurses to not work alone and advised them to go to the nursing manager’s office and await a second RN to be assigned to their ward before starting work.

It emphasised three RNs should be assigned per ward and added while two RNs were “by no means” adequate to provide safe nursing care, that was the minimum it was willing to accept.

The association added nurses should not move from their ward if management tries to reassign them from a ward that only has two nurses. (with reporting by Gregory McBurnie)