A hospital in London, Ont., is eliminating over 100 registered nurse positions within its mental health programs. This decision reflects a wider trend among hospitals across the province facing budget deficits.
St. Joseph’s Health Care London announced on Friday that it will be cutting 83 full-time and 31 part-time RN roles, while also creating nearly the same number of positions for registered practical nurses, personal support workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapy assistants, social workers, and therapeutic recreation assistants.
The hospital stated that it conducted a care model review and is revising how services are delivered in its mental health inpatient, regional outpatient, and outreach program at Parkwood Institute.
“This change is not about reducing care,” the hospital emphasized in its statement.
“We’re re-aligning how care is delivered and ensuring patients receive care that matches their mental health, recovery and whole person needs, while making the best use of our resources and the diverse skills and expertise within our teams.”
This announcement comes after the hospital recorded its first-ever deficit last year of $4.7 million and anticipates another operating deficit this year. The facility aims to achieve a balanced budget within three years.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones has instructed all hospitals operating at a loss – which includes most in Ontario – to establish three-year plans to eliminate their deficits. She urged them to implement any “low-risk” measures without delay.
Spokesperson Lily Barnes mentioned that the province has increased hospital funding by four percent this year for the fourth consecutive year.
“While hospitals are independent corporations responsible for their own day-to-day operations, including human resource matters, we will continue to work with St. Joseph’s Health Care London and all hospital partners to ensure people have access to the high-quality care they need, where they need it,” she stated.
“To be clear, the changes St. Joseph’s Health Care is making will not impact patient access to care or services.”
The provincial president of the Ontario Nurses’ Association, Erin Ariss, criticized these job cuts.
“There is no justification for this government starving our hospitals of adequate funding knowing Ontario nurses will lose their livelihoods and communities will pay a heavy price for RN cuts,” she said in her statement.
“The latest cuts in London leave patient safety severely compromised as the skills RNs possess are vital to identify when a patient needs life-saving measures and act when time is of the essence.”
The hospital expects that based on current vacancies and transfer opportunities, around 60 full-time and 25 part-time jobs will be directly affected by these changes.
Last month Hamilton Health Sciences announced plans to cut more than 400 jobs due to budget balancing efforts by the province.
The Ottawa Hospital earlier this year indicated it would reduce its workforce by three percent-this could mean hundreds of jobs-though they aim to limit layoffs through vacancy management and early retirements.
So far, they’ve managed to keep “involuntary departures” down to just 17 people according to recent reports.
The London Health Sciences Centre indicated it was cutting nursing positions through attrition while Chatham-Kent Health Alliance mentioned plans to eliminate 49 roles by leaving vacancies unfilled.
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