Ontario Nurses' Association Warns that Nursing Home Residents are at Risk

Chelsey Park Retirement Community Nursing Home cutting 150 RN hours per week

LONDON, ON, Nov. 24, 2017 /CNW/ - Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) members are gravely concerned about the future quality of resident care at Southbridge Chelsey Park Retirement Community following news that this nursing home is dramatically cutting its registered nurse (RN) staff.

Chelsey Park is cutting the equivalent of four full-time RN/Head Nurse positions, the equivalent of 150 RN care hours a week for its 247 mostly senior residents. The Home has reported that these cuts are driven by a reduction in government funding.

"Cuts of this magnitude will decrease the quality of care being provided, impact resident health outcomes and impact the safety of both residents and staff in the home," says ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN. "The decision to eliminate positions and to lay off staff who provide nursing care to residents will have a devastating effect on the health-care services that these residents need and deserve ? it is the worst news possible for both our vulnerable residents and the remaining health-care professionals, who will experience increase to their workloads."

"In my 29 years at this home, I have never seen cuts this deep in nursing," said ONA Bargaining Unit President Dianne Popp, RN. "Residents should not suffer due to the financial issues of the home. The costs to families for long-term care have increased while nursing and personal care have decreased. You simply can't eliminate RN positions and not expect quality to suffer." 

ONA calls on this for-profit home to step up to the plate and put the care needs of residents before their bottom line. ONA also calls on the province to address the inadequate provincial funding plaguing both this home and facilities across the province.

ONA is the union representing 65,000 registered nurses, nurse practitioners and health-care professionals, as well as 16,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

Visit us at: www.ona.org; Facebook.com/OntarioNurses; www.Twitter.com/OntarioNurses

SOURCE Ontario Nurses Association