`APPROACHING AN INFERNO'

AHS shortages expected: Shandro

Despite concerns over temporary hospital bed closures across Alberta, Health Minister Tyler Shandro says patients can still get care and the provincial health authority is working to address staff shortages.

Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton has been forced to temporarily close six of its emergency department beds as it deals with a staffing shortage.

Multiple rural hospitals around the province have also had to temporarily close beds or emergency-room services due to a lack of doctors and nurses.

“People who need emergency care can and should continue to go to the Royal Alex — the folks there are able to still continue to make sure people can get the critical care that they need,” Shandro said at an unrelated news conference Monday morning.

Dr. Shazma Mithani, who has been working in the hospital's emergency department for seven years, said she's never seen this type of staffing stretch before.

“We are really being pushed to the brink in terms of the resources that we have available for our patients,” said Mithani, adding the increased workload spread across fewer staff members coincides with the higher number of patients that normally come through the doors in the summertime.

Mithani said it's a “vicious cycle” that began with staffing challenges, which led to increased workloads, accelerated fatigue and burnout, and further staff shortages.

“This is the result of months and months and months of moral injury and stress and burnout that's now all culminating at one time unfortunately,” said Mithani, adding because other facilities are facing similar challenges, it's difficult to redeploy staff.

“It's frustrating, it's very upsetting, and it's very disappointing,” said Mithani.

United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) president Heather Smith warned that unfilled vacancies in communities across the province will inevitably lead to reductions in care, including at the Royal Alex, one of the busiest emergency departments in North America.

“It is affecting patient care ... we're approaching an inferno here,” Smith said Monday.

Smith added “inadequate, unsafe” staffing levels are no longer a predominantly rural problem.

The Lacombe Hospital and Care Centre, about 125 km south of Edmonton, is also one of about a dozen health facilities forced to reduce how many patient beds are staffed around the province.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) said in a statement Monday shortages have led to the closure of between 112 and 117 beds out of 8,400, representing 1.5 per cent of acutecare beds.

Shandro said the shortages were expected.

“We knew that coming into Stage 3, and coming into the easing of restrictions, we're still going to have pressures with staffing throughout the province this summer. AHS is continuing to do amazing work. This is the healthcare system in Alberta responding to the most significant health-care crisis in the last 100 years,” he said.

NDP Opposition health critic David Shepherd called on the government to explain how the closures were allowed to happen, come up with an action plan, and disclose what facilities are at risk of losing staffed beds.

“If the minister expected it, you would think he would have done something about it, but instead he is simply leaving it to the front lines,” said Shepherd at an NDP news conference.

Appearing at the annual Premier's Stampede Breakfast in Calgary Monday, Premier Jason Kenney said the province is working to address the shortage, noting that Alberta has reported a net gain in doctors, and the health-care budget is higher than ever.

“There's always a bit of a challenge in rural and remote hospitals, that's not a new thing and that's not just an Alberta thing,” said Kenney, saying the province has put $19 million toward doctor recruitment and retention.

The staffing squeeze comes after the latest proposed collective agreement for nurses included a three-per-cent wage rollback.

When asked how he would respond to workers facing burnout and potential wage cuts at the same time, Shandro said it remains to be seen what comes out of negotiations.

“Those are great arguments for the union to represent their members at the negotiating table,” said Shandro, who added bargaining talks and labour pressures on the system are two different issues.

Smith said uncertainty about wage negotiations is leading to added stress and frustration for nurses who are already exhausted and demoralized from working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What we're hearing is that people are being required to work more than 16 hours a day, but nobody is there to replace them,” she said.

Shepherd said the government still hasn't acknowledged what front-line workers have faced.

“We saw the minister again today deny the reality health-care workers are seeing directly in front of them,” said Shepherd, adding that because the health-care system is integrated, a shortage in one area or department could affect staffing in others.

“The impacts ripple out through the system, and we're seeing that exhaustion pretty much at every level in every front-line healthcare position,” he said.

AHS could not provide a timeline of specific closures, but said it is common, especially in the summer, for resources to be adjusted, and that the pandemic has affected staff redeployment and the pool of casual staff.

Mithani said in her experience, the current shortage goes beyond filling in for regular summer vacations.

“This has never been a problem in previous summers. Clearly something has changed,” said Mithani.

AHS added that its working on a recruitment plan to fill vacancies by the end of August.

Shandro made his comments from Calgary via a virtual signing ceremony renewing a health services agreement for border city Lloydminster with Saskatchewan Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health Minister Everett Hindley.