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Nurses hand VIHA 4,000 reasons to review model
Patient care: Health authority board declines to review its team-based care model already in use at Cowichan hospital since 2009 Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
A
new patient-care model won’t be stopped and reviewed, as demanded by angry nurses Wednesday in Duncan. They handed Vancouver Island Health Authority brass boxes holding 4,000 petition names of nurses demanding the model be reviewed by independent experts to assess patientsafety risks. “It would be irresponsible for us to do that (independent review),” Dr. Brendan Carr, VIHA’s acting CEO, said of the model already implemented at various hospitals, including Cowichan. “We’re already using external people to review it.” About 50 RNs confronted VIHA board members during their meeting at the Travelodge Silver Bridge Inn. Nurses wearing red-and-black clothing — symbolizing a bleeding health-care system, and the death of adequate care — damned VIHA’s creation and implementation of the Care-Delivery Model Redesign. That model would basically see teams of RNs, LPNs and care aides tend patient needs, particularly among the island’s aging patients. Nurses’ higher level of training would provide team planning. “One-on-one care is not how we work today,” said Carr. “It’s not simply about who is a team member, but what the team comprises.” But RNs believe they’ll gradually be replaced by lower-paid care aides. Jo Salken, of the B.C. Nurses Union, indicated VIHA’s motive is saving money on labour “full stop.” She explained care aides can, for example, help patients to the toilet, but
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Peter W. Rusland
Jo Salken of the B.C. Nurses Union helps deliver 4,000 petition names to VIHA board chairman Don Hubbard during Wednesday’s meeting in Duncan. RNs want VIHA’s Care Delivery Model Redesign stopped for an independent patient-safety review. RNs doing that task are trained to do assessments about bed sores, walking gear needed, balance, and more. “What started as ‘right nurse, right patient’ suddenly flip-flopped to ‘right
health-care worker-right patient.’” Carr signalled he got the message from those 4,000 names. “There’s a concern, we understand that, and recognize you can’t
exchange a nurse with a care aid.” “We need more nurses, not less,” said RN Kelly Charters. “VIHA’s not listening to our concerns.”
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