Nurses reassigned as Health Sciences Centre ER short-staffed this weekend: Shared Health

Staff are being asked to work overtime, and part-time employees asked to come in, as the emergency room at Manitoba's largest hospital is expected to be short-staffed this weekend, according to the provincial organization in charge of health care in Manitoba.

Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg is anticipating "staffing challenges" in its adult emergency department, a Shared Health spokesperson confirmed in an email to CBC News on Saturday.

That comes after the Winnipeg Free Press reported on Friday that HSC's emergency department had to close about half of its beds Friday due to a lack of nurses.

Efforts are underway to solve the staffing shortage, according to Shared Health, including asking part-time and casual staff to come in. Those already scheduled to work are also being asked to work overtime, and critical care nurses are being reassigned if possible.

The sickest and most injured patients coming to HSC's emergency department will continue to be prioritized to ensure they get care with minimal wait times, Shared Health said, but patients with less-urgent concerns should expect to wait longer.

The head of the Manitoba Nurses Union said this weekend's staffing shortage will have an impact on nurses and patients.

Darlene Jackson said the baseline in the emergency department at HSC is 24 nurses working on a shift, but only eight nurses were scheduled on Friday night.

"[That] tells me that we are going to have nurses who are working flat out — not going to have breaks," she said in an interview with CBC News Saturday.

"We're probably going to have nurses who are mandated to stay and help out, and wait times for patients are going to escalate."

Nurses are trained to provide a certain level of care to patients, Jackson said, and it's very concerning when that's not possible. 

"This weekend, those nurses would be giving the bare minimum of care," said Jackson. "There'd be no time to spend with a patient and actually, you know, provide some comfort." 

While nurse staffing levels in the emergency department vary by shift, Shared Health says the challenges in filling shifts this summer has been more critical on weekends — particularly with evening and overnight shifts.

Nurse vacancies in HSC's emergency department reflect "national staffing trends," Shared Health says, which have been caused by a multitude of long-standing issues.

Jackson says this weekend's staffing issue is a symptom of a critical nursing shortage, and a glimpse of what's to come.

"I hear from nurses every day that are looking for somewhere else to work other than the public system," she said.

"I really think that this government and these employers need to start addressing retention, and they need to do it very quickly." 

Shared Health says in the longer term, a number of initiatives are underway to recruit and retain nursing staff. 

The health organization is also reminding Manitobans to continue seeking emergency help when needed, either by calling 911, or going to an emergency department or urgent care centre.

WATCH | Hospitals across Canada cope with labour shortages:

Hospitals reassign staff, close beds to cope with labour shortage

2 years ago

Duration 2:14

Manitoba’s busiest emergency department was forced to close half of its beds this weekend due to a lack of nurses. It’s just one example of how hospitals across the country continue to struggle.