Royal Inland Hospital.

(ASHLEY LEGASSIC - REPORTER / iNFOnews.ca)

Royal Inland Hospital is not planning to bring licensed practical nurses to its new psychiatric wing, leaving workers worried for both their jobs and their patients.

The nurses are being told they will be displaced from their current positions at the psychiatry department, Unit 1 South, as the hospital expands into the new Patient Care Tower.

Several nurses explained they are concerned that the transition will not only affect the eight to 10 LPNs working in the ward, but also the other nurses and care aids struggling to keep up with the workload.

"I would not want to have a family member on the mental health unit right now," one nurse said.

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The nurses requested their names not be published out of concern for their continued employment at Interior Health.

Although the nurses only just learned of the plans from their management in recent weeks, Interior Health said it planned to make the change since last summer.

In response to concerns from nurses who learned they will not keep their positions when the department moves into the new patient care tower, a hospital manager told staff not discuss or spread information about the changes, in a Jan. 27 email.

Although nurses would prefer to better their education and continue working in the psychiatric field, a previous offer from Interior Health to help them do that has not been followed through.

While these nurses may have concerns about being displaced into other positions within Interior Health, there are provisions within the collective agreement to account for operational changes like these, B.C. Nurses Union regional chair for the Thompson and North Okanagan region, Scott Duvall, said.

"There's always a request, or hope, for consultation in operational changes, but ultimately it does fall under management rights," he said. "As long as employer does things they need to under our collective agreement, that's our biggest concern."

The nurses have been told by their employers that when the psychiatric ward moves into the new tower, it will offer an increased level of care along with more beds for patients.

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Nurses coming forward recall over the last two years, care aids and licensed practical nurses have been given extra responsibilities to make up for staffing shortages. On some days, a single nurse may take on a 14-patient workload, reducing the amount of time they can spend with an individual patient, and increasing burn out.

The nurses said the added workload, and eventual displacement, puts more pressure on the already overworked staff that will remain in the psychiatry unit.

The Royal Inland Hospital psychiatry ward currently staffs around 30 registered nurses or registered psychiatric nurses, compared to the 10 soon-to-be-displaced licensed practical nurses.

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Staffing shortages at healthcare facilities have been regularly reported across Interior Health and at Royal Inland Hospital in the last year, but Duvall said the COVID-19 pandemic merely exacerbated an issue healthcare facilities have faced for years.

"I don't care what are you're talking about... every part of the healthcare system is in crisis," Duvall said. He said staffing shortages have put added pressure on not just doctors and nurses, but also other employees like lab technicians, x-ray technicians and care aids.

Displaced nurses are expected to begin meeting with their employers on March 16 to look at employment openings in other areas of the hospital, or other facilities. Given the issues with staff retention and recruitment within B.C.'s healthcare system, Duvall said finding new job opportunities should not be a challenge.

iNFOnews.ca requested an interview with an Interior Health spokesperson to discuss the changes at Royal Inland Hospital, but it could not be arranged before publication.

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