The College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA) is seriously concerned that further cuts to the registered nurse workforce will put patient safety and quality of care at risk. Earlier this week, Alberta Health Services announced plans to cut staff by enticing nurses and other professionals into early retirement in order to address the health system's budget deficit.
"CARNA is dismayed that Alberta Health Services is encouraging experienced registered nurses to consider early retirement because the care provided by registered nurses is essential for ensuring patient safety and quality of care," says Mary-Anne Robinson, CARNA executive director. "Nearly 6,600 of Alberta's registered nurses are over the age of 56 and eligible to retire. When you consider that there are only about 8,500 nurses in all of Edmonton, you can imagine the impact if all the nurses over the age of 56 retired at once. We should be urging experienced nurses to stay, not ushering them out the door."
According to Robinson, research shows that the care provided by registered nurses can prevent mistakes from happening in hospitals, including preventing deaths, and reduces the number of times people have to be readmitted to the hospital. Experienced nurses also provide care for the very sick people who are admitted to hospitals and act as a resource for less experienced nurses. Along with encouraging early retirement, Alberta Health Services CEO Dr. Stephen Duckett announced a plan to reduce overall costs by three per cent throughout the system, including in long-term care facilities.
"CARNA is puzzled by the contradictions in the approach being taken by Alberta Health Services," says Robinson. "On one hand, Dr. Duckett is planning to shift health care out of hospitals and into communities. On the other hand, he is encouraging registered nurses to leave the health system when registered nurses are the professionals with the knowledge base required to coordinate community care and services and provide care for the sickest individuals in their homes. There have to be enough registered nurses to provide the care, regardless of where that care occurs."
According to Robinson, many registered nurses are telling CARNA that they are demoralized from consistently working on understaffed units, being required to work extra shifts and unpaid overtime on a regular basis and the loss of experienced nurse managers and other nursing practice supports.
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