Faced with a critical shortage of nurses, the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de la Montérégie-Ouest (CISSSMO) announced in recent days the imminent closure of 26 additional beds at Hôpital du Suroît.

Last May, 20 of the 237 beds in the temporary complex next to the hospital's emergency department were closed indefinitely. As a consequence of the end of the use of private agencies, these closures have had a direct impact on patients, but less so on staff... until now. 

“ For now, there are no major impacts on staff, since we're still waiting to find out which departments will be affected and how many beds per department will be closed,” points out Vanessa Léger, vice-president of labor relations at the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) de la Montérégie-Ouest.

That said, in the mid- and long-term, the union fears a significant increase in compulsory overtime, particularly in the emergency department. 

Indeed, with no beds available in the medical units, i.e., on the hospital's floors, stretcher stays in the ER will be considerably longer. “It's obvious that the ER will be swamped, even though it's not designed to accommodate patients for long periods of time,” maintains Ms. Léger.

At the time of writing, the average length of stay for people waiting on a stretcher at Hôpital du Suroît was 21:09.

On a positive note, the closure of the beds should allow the nursing staff to have a more adequate patient-nurse ratio, according to the vice-president. 

“What we're seeing right now is that there aren't enough staff to take care of patients in the medical units. It's impossible to go on like this. It's becoming dangerous for our members, who are being asked to take on more patients. With the closure of the beds, the patient-nurse ratio will be more appropriate,” adds Ms. Léger.

Wave of departures

Although the shortage of healthcare workers is nothing new, the new law banning the use of private agencies has exacerbated the situation. 

“We noticed a good wave of departures at the end of last spring and beginning of the summer, with the announcement of the new law, and we expect to see more. Many of the staff who came from the agencies were from outside the region. As the bonus for travel was excluded from the new work contract, it was no longer advantageous for them to come and work here,” laments Vanessa Léger.

In recent months, the CISSSMO has embarked on a vast campaign to hire agency employees within hospital centers. In May, the CISSSMO communications department confirmed to Néomédia that some 100 employees had joined the organization.

An appeal was also made to existing employees to increase their availability by voluntarily accepting additional shifts. 

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CISSSMO recorded a deficit of $106,129,940 in 2023-2024