B.C. health authorities quietly cracking down on overtime and staff pay in hospitals

The province’s two biggest health authorities are quietly cutting costs by limiting overtime and other discretionary spending on staffing.

British Columbia’s two largest health authorities have quietly begun cracking down on overtime pay and premiums paid to staff who agree to work last-minute in the Lower Mainland’s hospitals, CTV News has learned.

Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health don’t deny the moves are motivated by budgetary concerns, and they are also trying to portray them as benefiting workers.

“While overtime is an important and useful tool when used appropriately to ensure appropriate staffing to provide care, it is not a sustainable way of working and does not support staff wellness,” wrote Lynn Stevenson, interim president and CEO of Fraser Health in an emailed statement.

“Throughout our health system, we are working to find opportunities to improve system efficiency and impact for our patients, clients and residents, as well as our staff.”

Vancouver Coastal Health confirmed that overtime shifts are no longer freely booked, and that “when approved overtime is required, there are appropriate steps in place for leaders to authorize overtime as needed to ensure the delivery of safe, quality care to patients and clients.”

Typically, nurses are paid an hourly upgrade when called in to work with less than 24-hours notice, but those shifts are now rarely filled even though attrition rates are high, according to sources.

Workers concerned with staffing levels

Frontline workers describe critical staffing shortages in areas including emergency departments and intensive care units that they believe will worsen as a result of the new policies, with nurses and other staff increasingly burned out by caring for too many patients at a time. They spoke on condition of anonymity fearing retribution from hospital administrators for voicing their concerns about patient safety and staff well-being.

Several told CTV News that the new policy was circulated to staff verbally to avoid a paper trail that could trigger public criticism, and that feedback and red flags raised to management have been brushed aside.

Executive ranks also reduced

In June, the Ministry of Health announced that a review of the Provincial Health Services Authority, which oversees BC-wide services like the BC Cancer Agency and the BC Centre for Disease Control, would expand to all health authorities in an effort to slash costs and prioritize patient care.

Since then, Island Health has laid off 117 executives and staffers not providing front-line healthcare, while PHSA has confirmed it has “closed 61 vacancies and 57 team members have departed across several programs as part of these reductions.”

“We are in the process of making changes to reduce our leadership and administrative structures and we are notifying employees and teams most directly impacted first, in a phased approach, across our programs and services,” said a statement from Dr. Penny Ballem, interim president and CEO of PHSA.

“We have been approaching this process with thoughtfulness, care, and respect for everyone impacted – communicating regularly with employees and teams directly impacted, while also ensuring our core services remain intact so that our patients, families, and partners to continue to receive the best care and services possible.”

Neither the health minister nor leaders from the health authorities were available for interviews.

“Interim expenditure management measures are in place to control administrative costs while the review is completed, including a hiring freeze on managerial and non-union positions unrelated to delivering critical patient services,” wrote a ministry of health spokesperson in an email.