Nurses rally to demand auditor general investigate spending on travel nurses
Health minister says the health authority has assured him proper protocol was followed for contracts
About 60 nurses rallied at Confederation Building in St. John's on Tuesday, demanding the auditor general investigate the provincial government's spending on private nursing agencies.
Yvette Coffey, president of the provincial Registered Nurses' Union, says the provincial health-care system is "under attack."
"How did it happen that we're paying for rental cars, taxis, we're paying for accommodations, we're paying for air fryers, we're paying for furniture?" said Coffey.
"A registered nurse in Newfoundland and Labrador does a 24-hour shift. They're not even offered a taxi home or a meal during that 24 hours."
A recent Globe and Mail investigation revealed the N.L. government spent $35.6 million on nurses from private agencies from April to August last year, with rates as high as $300 per hour. The money also covered travel expenses and undelivered meals, among other costs.
Coffey told the crowd at Tuesday's rally that investing in the people of the province will retain them.
"Double-time pay for a registered nurse under our collective agreement is a heck of a lot cheaper than $312 an hour to a private agency," said Coffey.
A spokesperson for the auditor general said the office is considering an audit
Cost is 'appalling,' says health minister
Health Minister Tom Osborne says the cost to hire travel nurses is unacceptable.
"It's appalling that in five months we are spending $35 million on agency nursing. That money could be better spent in other areas of health care," Osborne says.
The provincial health authority is responsible for selecting the private agencies, Osborne says, and the government provides the funding. He says Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services has assured him the contracts with the agencies were awarded according to protocol.
The government has asked the comptroller general to address the concerns and investigate whether the hiring was done according to standards and policies, said Osborne.
Osborne said the auditor, who works independently of the government, wasn't asked to investigate because the comptroller, who works within the government, has the resources to carry out the review.
The comptroller general will review all agencies that were contracted, said Osborne, including the Toronto-based Canadian Health Labs, which was paid an hourly rate of $300 per nurse.
While the minister didn't provide a specific date for when the review will be done, he said it might take a few months.
Once it's done, he said, the report will be available to the public.
If the review determines the contracts adhered to protocol, he said, the concern would then be the amount of money spent.
"As much as I'd like to say today we are going to stop agency nursing, that would mean shutting down hospitals."
'We need to retain who's here'
At the protest, community health nurse Tina Edwards told CBC News the province needs to look to nurses already in the provincial system first.
"We need to retain who's here, keep them from resigning, from retiring, and we need to look at our student nurses and make it so they want to come into this environment and want to work and be proud," Edwards said.
"I'm a proud nurse. I love taking care of my community. But I also want to be paid what I'm worth. So I'm happy to be here to let [the minister] know, we want to work together. It shouldn't be us against him.".
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