The P.E.I. Nurses’ Union has stated that a shortage of beds for patients at two P.E.I. hospitals has not been remedied yet. .E.I. Nurses’ Union president Barbara Brookins pointed out that some people are waiting for days to get a bed in the hospital even as the policies say it should be no more than 24 hours.
She added:
“Sometimes people will spend their entire hospital stay in an emergency department. It increases the level of anxiety knowing your beds are all full or you are running a separate unit within an emergency room when you have a lot of patients waiting for in-patient beds so it’s a lot of pressure to put on the staff.”
Officials with Health P.E.I. have reported 20 people who are on the waiting list, hoping to be admitted soon. Barbara Brookings also noted that Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Charlottetown and the Prince County Hospital (PCH) in Summerside are experiencing staff shortages, which makes the situation even more difficult.
To remedy the situation, Health PEI has started working on moving patients out of the QEH and PCH to other hospitals across the province. Also, they are trying to expand their staff and lift some pressure from current employees.
The P.E.I. Nurses’ Union includes more than 1,250 registered nurses and nurse practitioners.