Manitoba cutting number of surgical staff who can take summer holidays in effort to tackle backlog

Some health-care workers may have to forgo a summer vacation so Manitoba can reduce its swelling backlog of surgeries.

Shared Health is cutting the number of surgical staff who can take time off during the summer months, as the organization responsible for co-ordinating health-care services tries to increase the number of surgeries done during what is usually a period of reduced activity. 

That move will more evenly distribute the number of vacations across the entire year, Shared Health says. This has already been happening in other areas of the health system, such as emergency, critical care, medical wards, various clinics and dialysis, the health organization said.

"To be clear, no vacations have been cancelled and the amount of available vacation for staff remains the same over the course of the year," a spokesperson said by email.

"The shift allows surgical staff to have the number of weeks they are entitled to while adding surgical capacity during traditionally slower periods, to treat more Manitobans waiting for care."

At an update last week from the task force charged with addressing Manitoba's backlog of postponed procedures, Health Minister Audrey Gordon said there were plans to staff many sites at 75 to 100 per cent of surgical capacity over the summer. Surgical slates typically drop to about 40 per cent during the summer months, she said.

The extra staffing will equate to 200-250 surgeries over the summer months, according to the health minister.

Nurses asked to volunteer

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Gordon said she wasn't aware of Shared Health's policy change.

But it may rob some health-care workers of soaking up the sun on a summer vacation. Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said Shared Health has been asking for volunteers to step forward.

"When that's not enough, what happens next?" she said in a statement.

"After a very long and difficult two years, this request has been yet one more blow to morale."

NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara said burnt-out nurses shouldn't be asked to give up vacation time in the desired summer months. 

"The pressure is being placed on health-care professionals who have gone without a break for months and months and months to give up their period of time to rest and time with their families. That's unacceptable."

Doctors Manitoba estimates the backlog of surgeries and diagnostic procedures stands at almost 168,000 procedures.