Nurses say provincial budget will hurt patient care

BCNU President Debra McPherson: "Budget is being balanced on the backs of patients"

The provincial government's decision to continue with record low increases to health care spending is bad news for patients, says the BC Nurses' Union.

BCNU President Debra McPherson says the province is balancing the budget on the backs of patients.

"Nurses and the public have seen what's happened to patient care since last year's budget which also held healthcare spending to historically low levels: emergency rooms overflowing, patients suffering in hallways, seniors sent home without nursing support, mental health services cut - the list goes on and on," says McPherson.

Today's budget provides for an increase of only 2.33 percent to the Ministry of Health for the upcoming year, 2.75 percent in 2015-16 and 2.61 percent for 2016-17.

Health authorities are limited to increases of 2.82 percent in the upcoming year, 2.14 percent in 2015-16 and only 2.16 percent in 2016-17.

Nurses are already struggling to cope with cost cutting measures by health authorities. On Vancouver Island for example, nurses are being replaced by care aides in a staffing experiment which is putting safe patient care at risk in Nanaimo Hospital. Nurse patient ratios at NRGH have doubled. The new care model will soon be implemented in Victoria and is expected to be rolled out across the province.

The budget forces health authorities to limit spending again this year and that means more patients will suffer. With the overall population growth and an increase in the number of seniors, there will be more patients receiving fewer services.

McPherson says "nurses are already run ragged trying to deal with impossible workloads. An ongoing erosion of funding for healthcare services means patient care will be at risk. British Columbians deserve better."