Temporary reduction in number of beds at Campbellton Regional Hospital: symptom of severity of health care labour shortage
Campbellton, Friday, August 20, 2021 – Due to a serious shortage of nurses at the Campbellton Regional Hospital, Vitalité Health Network must temporarily reduce the number of beds in the facility so that staff can be redeployed to the Emergency Department and other critical areas in need.
According to Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO of the Network, the nursing shortage in Canada and around the world has hit a concerning and unprecedented level. The Campbellton area is particularly affected. “This nursing shortage requires us to revise our capacity to deliver services because the situation is critical across all departments but especially the Emergency Department of the Campbellton Regional Hospital,” Dr. Desrosiers stated. “Under these circumstances, we have no alternative but to temporarily reduce our bed count by 12, which will allow us to continue delivering care and to give our frontline staff a modest break,” she explained. It is important to point out that this situation is not unique to the Restigouche region. “The challenges in the Emergency Department of the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre are well known and equally acute.”
According to the Network, this measure will allow staff to be redeployed to the Emergency Department and other nursing units in need. This temporary reduction in the number of beds is planned to last for a period of six to eight weeks on the Obstetrics-Gynecology Unit. “If all goes well, these beds should reopen in late September 2021.”
According to the President and CEO, the Network is taking a proactive approach to prevent essential service cuts and staff burnout. “Our health care workers are nevertheless showing significant signs of fatigue. And our teams are growing thinner, which makes matters worse. This type of situation is common during the summer but after 18 months of pandemic, it appears to be taking on worrisome proportions,” she said.
The Network is reviewing its care models to optimize its teams and pursue its strategic recruitment efforts. “I acknowledge that the current situation may raise concerns within the population we serve. I wish to reiterate that every effort humanly possible is being made to maintain essential services for the population and at the same time support our staff and physicians,” Dr. Desrosiers concluded.
