By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — A recent hospital stay for John Sinclair included an unexpected field trip to Rosetown.
The 77-year-old man was in the midst of a two-week stay at Davidson Health Centre, suffering from viral pneumonia and recovering in the acute care ward.
As Sinclair told the Leader, he was told in early September that he would have to leave the health centre for a couple of days due to a service disruption, caused by a staffing shortage.
Sinclair, who is diabetic and uses a walker, said he was given the choice of going home or relocating to the Rosetown and District Primary Care Centre temporarily.
Not feeling well enough to return home, he went for the second option, leading to a two-hour ambulance ride and, ultimately, a three-night stay in Rosetown.
“I didn’t want to ride in an ambulance,” he said Thursday. “They did as good as they could, but an ambulance isn’t a smooth ride.”
Sinclair said he has no complaints about the quality of care he received in Davidson, but he is concerned about the working conditions, particularly for registered nurses (RNs).
“The whole staff up there is wonderful,” he said. “There’s no way they should have to work the hours they’re working.”
Sinclair has added his voice to a growing chorus of concerns about recent service disruptions at Davidson Health Centre.
Besides the inconvenience to patients, they say the disruptions are evidence that the centre is understaffed and nurses are being overworked.
Leading the charge are the nurses themselves, several of whom spoke to Davidson town council back in August.
They alleged that the centre’s current staffing levels are potentially unsafe, asking for the town’s support as they pushed for a more balanced workload.
In response, Heartland Health Region’s acting CEO, Gayle Riendeau, said staffing levels at Davidson are in line with provincial guidelines. She said the region would keep working to fill vacancies and to address the nurses’ concerns.
A Craik man, who asked that his name be withheld, recently wrote a report on his own experience, submitting it to three health regions, two cabinet ministers and local politicians.
He said he was admitted to Davidson’s emergency room in early August after experiencing a gallbladder attack, and spent the next two weeks travelling back and forth between various hospitals for observation, treatment and surgery.
The patient spent part of that time at Davidson Health Centre, but his stays were interrupted by three service disruptions over a 10-day span. In each case, no RN was available to work the day shift.
For the full story, please see the Sept. 16 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.