Manitoba returns to the private agencies it dropped as it struggles to fill nursing shifts
CBC
Manitoba's health-care system is again working with some of the private nursing agencies it cut loose only days ago, after some rural hospitals struggled to fill shifts when it could only rely on a handful of agencies.
This week, the province went back to some of the private nursing agencies it dropped in an effort to find enough nurses to address staffing shortages.
Manitoba cut ties with dozens of agencies Jan. 15 in a bid to reduce the health-care system's reliance on private agencies, which it argued has squeezed the public system for millions of dollars in higher wages, travel fees and per diems.
It moved forward with just four agencies, which won a competitive bid to work in Manitoba, as opposed to the nearly 80 it used before the change.
Nurses warned that cutting agencies would exacerbate staffing shortages if the public system wasn’t adequately staffed, and after the move was implemented, reports emerged in recent days of hospitals in Swan River and Dauphin struggling to find staff.
The emergency department at Swan River's hospital was running with half the nurses required, with some shifts having no nurses at all.
In Dauphin, a four-bed unit that provides high-level care to patients remains temporarily suspended due to staffing shortages.
"On one hand, I don't agree with going back to agency, but for the nurse's sake and for the patient care's sake, I think there's nothing else we can do at this point," said Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union.
"Although I find it really unnerving that a government wouldn't anticipate these issues."
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the province remains committed to reducing the number of private agencies, and in the meantime, "regions are being supported to manage patient safety in real time," they said in a statement.
"That includes allowing regions with unique challenges the flexibility to temporarily work with agencies [it dropped], as needed, to ensure safe and reliable care.”
The minister didn't say how long that flexibility would last.
Dr. Scott Kish, a physician at Dauphin Regional Health Centre, said his hospital received permission to rehire the previous nursing agencies until the end of January. He isn't sure what would happen afterwards, noting some weekend shifts were staffed entirely with agency nurses.
He said the four-bed unit at Dauphin's hospital was closed so those nurses could be redeployed to other areas of the facility.
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