Nursing experts have several recommendations for SAH, claims union

An independent panel of nursing experts has made an unprecedented 91 suggestions to make better the patient care in the 3C Acute Medical Short Stay Unit at Sault Area Hospital.

"The expert panel discovered that nursing professional practice and workload uncertainties raised by registered nurses are legitimate and justified," stated the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN. "The panel made suggestions to deal what our nurses know are insufficient base RN staffing levels, unsafe, unmanageable and risky nurse-patient ratios, a high level of patient acuity and activity that has left our committed RNs unable to offer quality care and meet their proposed professional practice standards."

The Independent Assessment Committee (IAC) is a panel of 3 nurse experts opted to consider uncertainties from registered nurses and hospital management and make suggestions to address them.

Calling in an IAC is a last resort when nurses and management cannot resolve problems.

The panel of 3 nurse experts heard evidence from the Unit's registered nurses and hospital management about patient care problems at a 3-day hearing in the month of early April.

Primary findings of the expert panel include:

• Base RN staffing and nurse-to-patient ratio are inadequate and the medical unit needed extra RN staffing;


• Measures must be taken to deal the concern that RNs were not capable to regularly take their scheduled rest and meal breaks, leading to fatigue and low morale.