Nurse shortage has meant loss of hospital beds

STAFF shortages could lead to beds being lost at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
When asked whether it planned to close 14 surgical beds, the Health and Social Services Department yesterday said it had no ‘immediate’ intention to reduce any of the 50 currently available.
‘However, there are indeed staffing problems,’ said a spokesman.
‘Which does mean that we are having to monitor the situation and may need to review the matter in due course.’
The spokesman did not say what had led to the staffing problems, what they were or how many short of the required complement the department was.
It is understood that if beds were closed it would not affect emergency operations, but it could lead to a longer wait for planned procedures.
Potentially, it could eventually lead to people being flown off-island for operations, putting further strain on that part of the department’s budget.
Former Health and Social Services board member Mike Hadley said the shortage of nurses was due to a combination of pay rates and an unhelpful housing policy. (from thisisguernsey)

I am sorry, but I feel that lack of local training is to blame as well... its about time the States got this sorted out once and for all....

Hooray to that.We can't keep poaching staff from around the world.What better way,in the current climate,than local training facilities.More and better nurses or a longer runway(that may not be needed).methinks nurses first.

I was in the PEH in 2007 for 8 days and the nurses were absolutely terrific - but they all had the same gripe - their wages were less than the 'import' nurses - simply because the nurses who are seconded get all the help with accomodation etc etc whereas the Guernsey nurses (and other staff) who have families and mortgages do not!!! Not Good Enough!!!!

Are there really a lot of local people who want to go into nursing?

I have always thought it a proffession of dedication and with the wages being paid in the finance sector it takes a lot to choose bed pans at lower wages.

If we are paying incoming nurses a lot more than locals why are they not queing up to work here, I suspect whatever we are paying them its still not enough.

Ten hospital beds are to be closed in a Guernsey hospital for up to six months because of a shortage of nurses.
The temporary reduction in bed numbers follows the departure of two senior staff at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, health bosses said.
Only 20 beds will be open in Giffard Ward instead of 30 so the unit can be managed safely at current staff levels.
The beds close on Monday 27 April. The Health Department said it hoped to re-open them by early September.
Patients are also being told that some minor operations may be rescheduled and that people may be moved to other wards.
The Health and Social Services Department said it regretted any inconvenience caused.
It said: "As a matter of priority the department will continue its substantial efforts to recruit nurses with the right range of skills and experience so that the bed complement in Giffard Ward can return to full strength as soon as possible." (from thisisguernsey)

The ten beds closed because two nurses left which meant they did not have enough cover both the specialist nurses who left were on 15 year licences. Also in today’ s press the issue of a Health & Safety officer was raised we turned down a licence application for this post as we believed it could be filled from on island given the information we had, we were proved right and that post has now been filled by a locally qualified person. So do not believe everything you read in the press.

H&S Officer!!!!!!! That very title makes my blood pressure rise beyond the safety limit.....now there's a point who can I sue for making me sick at heart with hight blood pressure to boot!!!!!!

Its not a Health & Safety Officer (HSO) that is needed its nurses , i know loads of people (male & female) that would love to go into nursing but its the pay that is the problem , they can probably earn more at a checkout or stacking selves and of course there is the finance industry .

I have not sat all the courses yet to be a fully quilifed HSO but up to now it has cost my employers around £3000 for the training.

I agree Dave .Is there something that can be done to make HSSD use the very expensive accommodation that they had built

I agree with you Dave - the local nurses feel aggreived and undervalued where housing is concerned and it need to be addressed and very quickly - because like it or not we will all require the services of these nurses at some times in our lives. When I was in the PEH I could not fault the care I got - but the nurses at that time were marching to protest against their conditions of work - local nurses have families and mortgages and struggle to make ends meet - so whose fault is it that they get disheartened and leave? and when this happens outside nurses come in on a licence and get all the help they require.....this is something that ultimately will affect us all to a greater or lesser degree!

The department i work in cannot recruit adds go in but no-one wants the jobs and we now down to 4 perminant staff , 1 on long term sick the rest made up of agency and bank ,

So because 2 members of staff are leaving it means 10 beds for 5 months will be closed, seems to me that someone may be trying to save funds (wages) and it's a way of doing it.

If 2 new members of staff were found next week would these beds become available again sooner ?