NDP targets nursing ratios, end to mandatory OT

WINNIPEG — Nurse-to-patient ratios and an end to nurses’ mandatory overtime got closer to becoming law Wednesday.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara introduced two bills that follow promises made in the New Democrats’ November throne speech.

Bill 28 (The Health System Governance and Accountability Amendment Act — Nurse to Patient Ratios) would allow the health minister to create nurse-to-patient ratios.

That work will be delegated to a committee, Asagwara said.

Bill 28 doesn’t specify how many patients a nurse will oversee. Numbers will vary based on location and department, Asagwara said, adding the committee will iron out details.

There was a nurse-to-patient ratio committee leading up to Bill 28; many of the members want to join the ratio implementation committee. Members included the Manitoba Nurses Union, regional health authority representatives, nurses and government, Asagwara said.

Carla Compton, MLA for Tuxedo and a registered nurse, chaired the initial committee.

“We’re going to move as quickly as we can,” Asagwara said. “We also need to do this in a responsible way.”

If Bill 28 passes, Manitoba health authorities will need to create compliance plans for ratios, that will be flexible — government will keep an eye on the rollout and adjust as needed, the health minister said.

Bill 26, also named The Health System Governance and Accountability Amendment Act, would enable the health minister set benchmarks to eliminate nurses’ mandatory overtime. Employers would be required to follow them.

Mandatory overtime will be “appropriate” to use in circumstances such as surges or emergencies, Asagwara said.

The Manitoba Nurses Union called the legislation an “important step forward,” but said it must be matched by action on the ground.

“Manitoba continues to face significant nursing shortages, workplace violence, and cultural challenges within the health system,” a statement from the union reads.

“Until those issues are addressed, it will be difficult for health authorities to fully meet the goals outlined in these bills.”

Over the past year, union members have voted to grey-list three health-care facilities to discourage others from taking shifts or applying for jobs at Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg and Thompson General Hospital.

Asagwara highlighted the government’s recruitment of 1,100 net new nurses, which the New Democrats announced last year.

“We’re going to keep our foot on the gas,” Asagwara said. “We know that that has to be our top priority, is hiring more nurses.”

The health minister pointed to new ratios as a helpful tool for retention: “Nurses will want to stay in health care in Manitoba if their workloads are more manageable.”

Kathleen Cook, Tory health critic, said both bills seem to present “more questions than answers.”

She wanted to know whether the province has enough nurses to implement the changes.

» Winnipeg Free Press, with files from Carol Sanders