Temporary reorganization of beds at the Campbellton Regional Hospital to maintain services
Campbellton, Thursday, July 11, 2019 – Vitalité Health Network is announcing a temporary reorganization of some beds at the Campbellton Regional Hospital (CRH) to maintain patient services and maximize the use of nursing staff during the summer period.
According to Johanne Roy, Vice-President of Clinical Services for Vitalité Health Network, the CRH is facing numerous challenges in order to continue to properly meet the changing needs of the population of the Restigouche area in a context of shortage of qualified human resources. “Several care units at the CRH are currently working with reduced teams, while the occupancy rate remains very high, overflows are frequent and 45% of beds are occupied by patients in the assessment phase or awaiting placement in a long-term care facility,” she indicated. “We are fully aware of the heavy workload for care staff, which is why we must take action.”
According to the Network, the way services are organized must be re-examined in order to maintain optimal quality of care for patients and maximize the nursing staff's work through a collaborative work approach. One of the solutions considered is to better group the various types of clients within the CRH.
Relocation of palliative care beds
The first step of the reorganization consists in relocating all six beds from the Palliative Care Unit to the Geriatric-Rehabilitation Unit, which will maintain a total of 25 beds. The six palliative care beds will be grouped in the same area within the Geriatric-Rehabilitation Unit, all in private rooms. Palliative care patients will continue to receive the same quality care from the staff.
Reorganization of the Transitional Care Unit
The second step will consist in modifying the mandate of the Transitional Care Unit, which currently has 23 beds, to accommodate long-term care clients, bringing the total number of beds up to 33. The ten additional beds will be installed in the Palliative Care Unit (current unit), which is adjacent to the Transitional Care Unit.
The reorganization is underway and should be completed in a few weeks. This is a temporary measure that will be reassessed in October. Please note that this reorganization assigns four long-term care beds at the CRH and does not result in job cuts.
The objective of the Network is to maintain the quality of care and access to inpatient beds for those who need them while improving working conditions for the staff during the summer period.
