Tell VIHA to stop its scheme to cut nurses

May 08, 2013

First target for "Care Delivery Model Redesign" is Nanaimo, but they're bringing it to hospitals throughout the island

Members are encouraged to call or email VIHA's top officials (see information below) to urge them to halt their scheme to replace nurses with care aides.

The health authority is trying to roll out so-called "Care Delivery Model Redesign" at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital first. But they are planning to quickly impose it next at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General Hospitals, before bringing it to all other acute care facilities throughout the island. The scheme would severely compromise patient care.

Care aides are a valuable addition to staffing by helping patients with activities of daily living. VIHA should not use them to replace nurses. VIHA admits hospital patients have greater needs for care these days. That means they need more of the skills and knowledge of licensed and registered nursing professionals, not less.

This is all about VIHA cutting budgets, not improving patient care
Eliminating nurses will put patients at increased risk of complications and mortality
The plan will reduce access to the high quality nursing professionals that patients recovering from serious illnesses or surgeries need
Nurses have decades of evidence that patients will suffer, that reducing the number of nurses from the bedside leads to worse care and worse patient outcomes

Please email or phone VIHA and tell them to stop the scheme. Tell them your families and friends deserve better.

Contact Dr. Brendan Carr, VIHA's acting CEO and president (Brendan.Carr@viha.ca) and Lynn Stevenson, executive vice president, chief nurse (Lynn.Stevenson@viha.ca).

Please copy BCNU: jtaylor@bcnu.org.

Or phone VIHA toll-free: 1-877-370-8699.

Contact VIHA today!