PSWs shouldn't deal with 'acutely ill hospital patients,' analyst says

Morning North8:02Cuts in nursing hours and how it will affect your health

The cuts to nursing hours in Sudbury are part of a much bigger trend in Ontario. We heard from Michael Rachlis, a health policy expert, on why the entire province is slashing nursing hours, and what that will mean for your health.​Sudbury's hospital says it's considering hiring personal support workers to replace the nursing positions it's cutting — and that's raising concerns about a growing reliance on less skilled medical workers.

The president of a PSW association, Miranda Ferrier, said she's worried that more Ontario hospitals are replacing registered nurses with personal support workers.

• Nursing positions to be cut at Sudbury hospital: ONA

Just last week, a hospital in Cambridge Ontario announced it would lay off 33 nurses and replace them all with PSWs.

Ferrier said there's one reason for the trend.

“PSWs are cheaper. They do provide that personal bedside care.”

Ferrier noted bedside care is lacking in some hospitals, and PSWs could help alleviate the pressure on nurses.

But, she's also concerned hospitals want PSWs to step into nurses' shoes.

“I was asked to help with a feeding tube,” she said. “That's not my job.” 

Health policy analyst Dr. Michael Rachlis agreed.

“You don't want a PSW dealing with mostly acutely ill hospital patients.”

With the push to get patients out of the hospital and into communities, many people in hospital beds need highly specialized medical care, he said.

Ferrier says PSWs are also unregulated and have no governing body, which means there is no standard level of care.

“Our other concern in conversations with hospitals is their lack of knowledge surrounding PSWs, and what they can and cannot do,” she said.

“One hospital in particular suggested that they wanted to put PSWs in their surgical units. That scares me.”

The Ontario Nurses Association reports Health Sciences North is cutting 85,000 nursing hours.