Author: darcy
A survey of over 1,000 Nova Scotia nurses has found that over 90 per cent feel patients are being put at risk due to staff shortages, according to their union.
The Nova Scotia General Employees Union (NSGEU) says the survey was sent to all 3,147 members and was completed by 1,009 of them.
Members were given more than 10 days to complete the survey, according to the NSGEU, who says the results were “extremely alarming.”
According to the survey, 93 per cent of nurses surveyed say they believe patients are being put at risk due to working short, and in the past six months, and 92 per cent said their workload has increased over the past five years.
The survey also indicated that 85 per cent of respondents say their unit works short at least once per week, and only 12 per cent feel safe at work.
Long-term care in Canada is facing major sustainability challenges – and it’s an issue that we cannot afford to ignore.
Research released Tuesday by the National Institute on Ageing at Ryerson University shows that if Canada continues on its current track, the cost of publicly funded long-term care for seniors – including nursing homes and home care – is expected to more than triple in 30 years, rising from $22-billion to $71-billion, in today’s dollars.
Keep in mind that governments fund these costs from general tax revenues. Unlike the Canada/Quebec Pension Plan, there is no special fund or program to cover the costs of long-term care in Canada. And it is not covered under the Canada Health Act in the same way as physician and hospital care.
