MLA calls for nurse scheduling system change
Green MLA Matt MacFarlane is asking Health Minister Mark McLane to change how nurse schedules are set.
During question period, MacFarlane said he has heard a “recurring theme” when talking to health workers in the province that working conditions are driving nurses away.
He brought up a recent "focus on the frontline tour" in which McLane met with health workers throughout the province. MacFarlane said one suggestion to come out of this tour was for Health P.E.I. to adopt selfscheduling, which would allow nurses to select their preferred shifts during a schedule period.
Other hospitals in North America have implemented this system, which involves cloud-based software that gives staff the ability to make scheduling changes in realtime. Some research has shown that this system decreases staff turnover.
MacFarlane said this had been raised in a letter written by a nurse, which had been sent to McLane.
"Here's an example of a solution directly from a frontline health-care worker,” MacFarlane said.
“Is self-scheduling something that is currently used anywhere in our system? And if not are you going to consider bringing it in?"
In his response, McLane did not provide a direct answer to the question. He did say the province’s current scheduling system for nurses was outdated.
“We do have a very archaic scheduling system. We are embarking on a technology platform so it enables us to staff our system better."
McLane also said the province has a financial incentive that encourages nurses to maintain a full-time position.
As of last fall, the head of
P.E.I.’s Nurses Union has said almost half of the province’s working nurses have chosen to work part-time, often because they lack control over their working schedule.
A LETTER FROM THE FRONTLINES
During question period, MacFarlane read from a letter written to McLane by a frontline nurse. The letter was tabled in the legislature, but the name of the nurse was blacked out.
The letter’s author said she has been a nurse for 13 years and that the profession is becoming more and more difficult.
“We deal with trauma, impossible workloads, missed meals and no time for bathroom breaks,” the letter read.
Sometimes it is so busy, I don’t realize I have a pounding headache until the drive home, and I don’t remember the last time I had a drink of water.”
The letter also said Health P.E.I. discourages staff from making schedule changes and that nurses are told not to book trips in advance because getting vacation time off is not guaranteed.
“We have all been denied vacation,” the letter read.
MacFarlane asked McLane what proposals from his tour with P.E.I. frontline employees had been implemented.
“We seem to live in a world where workplace safety is becoming a greater issue,” McLane said in response.
“You've seen it in the budget debate that we've increase security especially at our rural-based hospitals to ensure that our staff feel safe in their work environment."
McLane also said the province has hired private travel nurses, whose salaries can sometimes be twice that of Health P.E.I. staff nurses, to fill gaps in the system.