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Budget cuts, patient and staff safety

Posted By julyhd64

"Budget cuts, patient and staff safety"

About: Albany Health Campus

(as a relative),

I recently had a family member admitted to the high dependency unit at Albany Hospital. While I was there, I was very shocked to overhear that one of the nurses was doing a 24 hour shift because of a staff and skill shortage. In the same conversation, I overheard talk about budget cuts and could really hear the distress in the voices of the nurses. Surely this is not safe? I really worry for the safety of my family members and also the safety and mental health of our nurses. How can our community expect high quality care when the hospitals priority seems to be the bottom dollar?

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Responses

Response from Janine Watts, A/CONM, Albany Health Campus, WA Country Health Service (WACHS) 11 months ago
Janine Watts
A/CONM, Albany Health Campus,
WA Country Health Service (WACHS)

Submitted on 7/06/2023 at 10:38 AM
Published on Care Opinion at 10:50 AM

Dear julyhd64

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns regarding an overheard conversation in the high dependency unit on the Albany Health Campus and for bringing this matter to our attention. Staff and skill shortage was not the reason for the staff member working a longer shift. It was related to a miscommunication between staff on shift. Fatigue management and our staff’s well-being are at the forefront of everything we do to enable us to care for our patients safely.

The process for managing fatigue and overtime for all staff was discussed with all Nurse Managers at a recent meeting and there is now Executive level oversight. We believe that this level of transparency will prevent further errors of this kind.

Please do not hesitate to contact me on 9892 2213 if you require further information.

Yours sincerely

Janine Watts

Coordinator of Nursing and Midwifery

Albany Health Campus

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