Public Notice – June 14, 2021
Labrador-Grenfell Health continues to reassure the public that there are no permanent cuts being made to programs and services at the Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital in St. Anthony.
Labrador-Grenfell Health is currently challenged with nursing shortages across our region including Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses.
The health authority has been working to ensure we meet the requirements of provincial collective agreements for annual leave during the summer period, to ensure employees are granted time off for rest and recovery.
While recruitment efforts are ongoing, we are unable to ensure annual leave for our valued staff and continue to provide usual levels of services.
As part of ongoing operational management, Labrador-Grenfell Health is working with regional programming and teams at our facilities to adjust services to make best use of our nursing resources during the summer months which involves temporary changes including:
- Reducing operating room capacity,
- Reducing Intensive Care bed capacity from 4 to 2
- Moving all acute care beds including Intensive care to one unit, to ensure Registered Nursing staff collaborate in the delivery of safe and efficient care for patients.
- Cohorting patients who are currently waiting in acute care for other services including long-term care, to ensure appropriate skill mix is provided.
These changes are not permanent and are being implemented to ensure the best use of our nursing resources while staff take their deserved breaks.
Labrador-Grenfell Health would like to reaffirm that this is part of its normal process, in collaboration with the other regional health authorities.
Labrador-Grenfell Health is committed to providing safe quality care to the population we serve.
Media Contact:
Amanda MacNeil
Regional Director of Communications
Labrador-Grenfell Health
Amanda.macneil@lghealth.ca