"Safe levels of nursing staff are the key to a []sustainable health care system" says Linda Silas President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
Photo Credit: Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions

Biennial convention of nurses federation focuses on ‘Taking the Lead’

Canada’s largest nurses organisation, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU), is holding its biennial convention in Toronto from June 3-7.

Under the theme “Taking the Lead” more than 800 nurses will discuss the future of nursing, sustaining Canada’s public health care system, and the future of the country’s health care system beyond acute care.

One of the issues that the nurses must deal with is the high level of overtime in the profession and absenteeism.

According to a Informetrica study commissioned by the Federation nurses and nurse supervisors worked well over 21.5 million hours of overtime in 2012.

The Informetrica statistics also show that each week in 2012 an average of 18,900 of Canada’s 251,500 Registered Nurses and nurse supervisors in the health care and social assistance sector were absent from work due to their own illness or disability.

“These levels of overtime and absenteeism clearly indicate that nursing workloads have reached a point that is not safe or acceptable,” said CFNU president Linda Silas in a press release.

“More than any other factor, safe levels of nursing staff are the key to an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable health care system that meets the needs of patients, their families and all Canadians,” said Silas.

More information:
CFNU press release on convention – here
Absenteeism and overtime rates clearly indicate need for more emphasis on safe nursing staff numbers in Canada (info) – here
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) website – www.nursesunions.ca

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