Residents of Hilltop House and their families learned Tuesday (Jan. 18) of staffing changes at the long-term care facility - but instead of the cutbacks they feared, the number of staff working at Hilltop will increase.
"We wanted to increase the staff-to-patient ratio in terms of time," said Marion Biln, the manager of home and community care for the long-term care centre attached to 樱桃视频General Hospital.
The facility is letting one part-time registered nurse (RN) go, and hiring five licensed practical nurses (LPN), three of which will be full time and two part time. There is also an increase in long term care aid time.
The staffing changes are scheduled to be implemented March 7.
"LPNs are able to do about 70 per cent of tasks that RNs do," Biln said. "There will always be an RN on shift at Hilltop House."
The changes mean individual care for each of the 61 residents will increase to 2.4 hours per day to 2.8 hours each day.
On Tuesday (Jan. 18) a meeting was held for families and friends of Hilltop residents.
"We had a good showing, people showing their concern, wanting information," Biln said.
She said one of the concerns was people thought the changes were related to funding cutbacks.
But Biln said they were adding an additional 17 hours per day of care to the facility.
Finding RNs to work at the facility is also tough.
"We were having great difficulty recruiting RNs to Hilltop House," Biln said. "RNs are an employee market. Those jobs were not as enticing to them.
"We get people and then they move on. We have quite a turnover."
She said even now 66 per cent of the RNs working at the facility are casuals, and there are two vacant staff positions.
The RN being let go is taking an emergency course and was hired on the basis she would not be staying, Biln said.
"She's not going to stick around."
The staff rotations are going to be changed as well, Biln said. While the amount of hours each staff member works are not changing, the shifts are.
"The ISU [intermediate secure unit], there were concerns about staffing there," Biln said. "Certainly we are looking at trying to provide a consistent approach to care for all our patients."
"They're just feeling it out at the moment to see how it goes," said Molly Goodgrove of the Hilltop House Support Society. She said the changes had nothing to do with the support society.
"They're saying it's better for the patients."
She said she didn't know what kind of effect it would have on the residents and there were concerns voiced at the meeting.
Wendy Avey, a RN, has been hired to help with the transition process and education and mentoring for Hilltop staff will be provided two days a week as part of the changes.
