MEDIA RELEASE: Increased Medical Errors Highlights Needs for Increased Staffing

The deaths of 126 Nova Scotians over the past two years, as documented in the Nova Scotia Reportable Events Database, is only further evidence that our provincial government needs to move forward with establishing minimum nurse to patient ratios.

“A 66 per cent jump in reportable incidents simply isn’t acceptable,” says NSGEU President Joan Jessome.

“This government has so far spent its time in power working against the interests of the safety of patients by not listening or acting on the serious concerns continually raised by health care providers. That needs to stop. The Premier and the Minister of Health have to step back and start addressing the real issues facing patient care and health care providers – one of the major issues being nurse to patient ratios.”

In 2013, NSGEU nurses launched a public campaign in an effort to establish mandated staffing ratios, to help ensure they were able to deliver safe patient care. Their position was that establishing safe and reasonable nurse to patient ratios would ensure safer and more consistent nursing care, increase public confidence in our health care system and help create a healthier and more sustainable nursing workforce.

“In a CBC report this morning, we heard the Nova Scotia Health Authority stating their goal as being to have the safest possible system they can,” says Jessome.

“If their goal truly is to improve safety, it’s time for government to listen to and act on the concerns raised by nurses and other health care providers regarding patient safety. The urgency is now, before more Nova Scotians end up in the Reportable Events Database.”

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The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union represents over 30,000 women and men who provide quality public services Nova Scotian’s count on every day.

For more information, please contact:

Holly Fraughton, NSGEU Communications Officer

902.424.4063 (office)

902.471.1781 (cell)

hfraughton@nsgeu.ca