‘Enough is enough:’ Nurses call for more staff, safer working conditions

Saskatchewan nurses chanted “Enough is enough!” and “Unsafe staffing has got to go!” during a rally in Saskatoon.

About 100 nurses marched down 20th Street on Monday, calling for more staff and safer working conditions in Saskatchewan hospitals.

“We’re tired of working in a broken health system. We’re tired of practising in such terribly unsafe and deplorable conditions,” Tracy Zambory, head of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, told the crowd.

Zambory said more should be done when it comes to providing enough space, resources, support and nursing staff for patients who walk through hospital doors.

“It has become impossible to fulfil our professional promise to provide the safest care possible,” she said.

Nurses in Saskatoon rally down 20th street- calling for more beds and safe staffing for hospitals

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Other nurses echoed Zambory’s message as they read statements about their experiences.

One registered nurse said she was poked with a needle after inserting an IV into a violent, unco-operative patient. She said it happened due to the lack of available staff to properly restrain the patient.

Some statements brought out tears from attendees.

“I had to push a 90-year-old grandma from her bed into the waiting room to sit in a hard chair for the night shift,” another nurse recounted. “We both cried.”

Steph Fehr, a nurse clinician in the emergency department at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon, said 82 per cent of staff members say mental health has been negatively affected by their job.

Zambory reiterated her long-standing call for the creation of a nursing task force to help address the issues.

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The union head said a task force would give a platform for unions, educators, and legislators to voice concerns and provide solutions for the provincial health-care system.

She expressed the need for more registered nurses, and said many of them have reverted to casual work due to the current working conditions. She added that the province is short around 1,000 full-time nursing positions.

Zambory said her union has met with Premier Scott Moe, Health Minister Everett Hindley, and Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Andrew Will about the task force, but wants to see action taken by the government.

On Nov. 14, the health authority announced an action plan to relieve the capacity issues at Saskatoon hospitals.

The plan outlined specific actions to be taken within the next 30 days, including enhancing weekend staffing, adding temporary emergency department staff to improve patient safety, and increasing adherence to capacity protocols that are already in place.

Zambory told reporters Monday the proposed plan is not enough, and nurses still want a chance to sit down with authorities, work together, and have their voices heard.