Critics warn of strain on care as LHSC moves to cut nursing positions

Critics are speaking out following the announcement of 288 registered nurses’ positions being cut at LHSC. CTV’s Reta Ismail reports.

London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) says it plans to cut nearly 290 registered nursing positions across several units - a move the Ontario Nurses’ Association warns will strain an already pressured hospital system and harm patient care.

The hospital announced the reductions this week, saying they are part of a benchmarking exercise aimed at aligning staffing levels with similarly sized academic hospitals.

Erin Ariss, provincial president of the nurses’ association, says frontline nurses have long raised concerns about working conditions at the hospital.

“Nurses that work at London Health Science Center have already raised the alarm about the conditions of work there. They filed hundreds of patient safety and workload complaints. There’s health and safety issues in that building that would, quite frankly, make your skin crawl,” Ariss said.

The hospital is currently overseen by a provincial supervisor, David Musyj, who says the reductions will occur gradually through attrition.

“No one is going to be walked out of the organization. So, this is going to take time. And if you look at it in the grand scope of LHSC over the three years, this is less than a two per cent reduction in the number of FTE at LHSC over three years,” Musyj said.

He adds the planned reductions follow a decade in which the hospital hired beyond long-term demand.

Still, health care advocates say the changes come at a time when hospitals are already struggling with staffing shortages.

Peter Bermanis of the Ontario Health Coalition says cutting registered nurse positions will further strain patient care.

“It doesn’t change the fact that there’s still going to be a shortage of enough skilled staff to provide adequate care. And in London, we have a growing city, we have a massive hospital complex that doesn’t need less staff, it needs more staff,” he said.

Hospital officials say they plan to hire 108 registered practical nurses over the same period. Ariss criticized the move, saying it risks shifting responsibilities to workers with different training.

“They’re expecting registered practical nurses to do the job of a registered nurse without the additional education and the additional pay that comes with that,” she said.

The reductions are expected to affect several areas, including adult ambulatory and inpatient care, as well as pediatric services.

Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, says the decision could ultimately affect patient care.

“They have a supervisor for a reason, but it’s not because of nurses, it’s because of the problems they had with other financial practices. So, the reality is that at the end of the day, it’s patients that will pay for the ill-conceived decision of London Health Science Center,” she said.

The nurses’ association says it will continue to push the Ontario government to implement mandatory safe staffing ratios in hospitals.