In an interview with Tout un matin, Dr. Martine Leblanc, Deputy Director General for General and Specialized Physical Health Programs at CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, at the ICI premiere the existence of an extremely difficult situation, in addition to adding the tense qualifier.
Labor shortages are hitting the east hard, she added, before saying that during night shifts, barely 30% of emergency posts are staffed, while that proportion rises somewhat to almost 40% during evening shifts.
The pressure on the teams is too high; we, we would love nothing more than to end mandatory overtime. It is not a preferred management method; Unfortunately, due to labor shortages, it has become practically commonplace.
“Nurses, we hear you; they are in distress. »
— A quote from Dr. Martine Leblanc, Deputy Executive Director of the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Ile-de-Montréal
according to dr Leblanc, the hospital managers suggested the nurses have a contingency plan to avoid resorting to the TSO. Unfortunately, this plan was not accepted […] from the nurses who wanted to talk about it, she said.
However, Dr dismissed emergency services.
For the manager, the long-term solution is to hire more nurses to work in the ER; dr However, Leblanc admits in the same breath that this task will not be easy.
It’s certain we’re not getting good press right now, and that’s not attracting people, recognized Tuesday Dr. Leblanc, always on the waves of ICI Première. Right now people are reluctant to join our teams but we need to find a way to turn that around.
This long ascent is not only explained by the lack of personnel, but also, according to Dr. Leblanc, by the fact that the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont has insufficient capacity for the number of patients treated there. So the manager speaks of a historical problem and of very strong clinical pressure.
Health Minister Christian Dubé spoke of underinvestment in health in east Montreal during his visit to Everyone’s Talking About It on Sunday.
An “unsustainable” situation for managers
“We can’t say that we are currently putting managers in defensible situations, these people are doing their best with the elements at their disposal,” said Dr. Leblanc before raising the issue of labor shortages again.
As for the self-management of schedules, a measure mentioned by Minister Christian Dubé to solve part of the crisis affecting nurses across Quebec, this measure would be almost 100% implemented in the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont” , assures Dr.
But you will understand that if only 30% of the positions are filled, even if I manage my schedule myself, I can’t do it because the difference is too big.
Dialogue between nurses and management
During a press conference at noon, the CEO of the CIUSSS, Jean-François Fortin-Verreault, indicated that meetings will be held with the nurses assigned to the emergency department to ensure that the requirements of the latter in terms of the organization of working hours, include also to ensure the compatibility of work and private life.
We will continue discussions to find the best course of action, he said.
Mr Fortin-Verrault also mentioned that the objective is to avoid closing the emergency department of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital again on Tuesday evening. At the moment we have the staff to cover 60 patients on stretchers; currently there are 62. We work in such a way that it works and that it is balanced.
For his part, the CEO also acknowledged that the situation was extremely difficult. Such is the case of a ward manager who was recently the subject of a letter co-signed by 100 emergency room nurses.
The latter denounce a toxic working atmosphere and actions that contribute to generation […] inhuman working conditions.
The signers of the letter threatened to resign on Wednesday if nothing is done; Mr Fortin-Verreault said Tuesday midday that the person targeted by this letter had been reassigned to a different unit.
The person concerned is not responsible for the fact that we accept more patients than we have capacity [à le faire]. The person deserves to be treated well, but it is certain that the relationship with the team is not there. We hope that everyone can find their account and continue working.
The CEO of the CIUSSS also announced that the number of ambulances being sent to the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital will be reduced to give the team some breathing space. You have to start having a little less volume, reconciling work and family… This is the first step, the nurses told me that yesterday, he explained before mentioning that he had received a hundred suggestions for improving the room in an emergency.
External consultant for the rescue
After meeting with the head of the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, to which the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital is affiliated, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced on Tuesday that an outside consultant would be coming to hand on the trial to identify the problems of the establishment.
The CEO is really the one who regulates this. […] And to support him and the staff we have agreed, and I think it’s an excellent decision on his part, to bring someone from the outside into the situation and keep trying to find solutions, Mr Dubé said.
The minister indicated that talks will take place this afternoon with this outside adviser to listen a little to the two parties and see how they can be brought closer together.
“Staff, it was not pleasant what you had to do last night to make your point. I’m telling you, I have a lot of empathy. It’s not for nothing that I’ve come here many times this year. »
— A quote from Christian Dubé, Minister of Health
On the side of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), however, they castigate the minister’s deplorable failure. Health critic André Fortin also speaks of a leadership crisis.
The closure of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont ER has been in the pipeline for months and is further evidence of the inefficiency of the CAQ. However, Minister Dubé refused to listen to the nurses’ call for help and to act before the crisis hit. The result of all this incompetence, according to the nurses themselves, is endangering the lives of the patients, he also said in a statement.
Health spokesman Vincent Marissal, who also represents voters in the borough where the hospital is located, is due to speak at the scene at 2.30pm on Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, on the sidelines of an event in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville district, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said she was extremely concerned about the situation in the hospitals, but particularly in Maisonneuve-Rosemont […]an important establishment for the east end of Montreal.
With information from Sébastien Bovet