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Two southwestern Ontario hospitals are laying off more than 50 personal support workers (PSW) in their acute care departments and replacing them with nurses.
Both Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital (TDMH) and St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) say the changes are due to increasingly complex patients who require nursing care. Both hospitals says these patients need nursing assessments, complex medication management, and clinical interventions.
“Evidence consistently demonstrates that enhanced regulated nursing resources improve patient outcomes, reduce adverse events, and support safer, higher quality care,” statements issued by the hospitals said.
TDMH declined an interview request and a STEGH spokesperson did not respond to a request before publication.
But in a statement, the St. Thomas hospital said 26 PSW jobs will be cut in acute care with additional layoffs in the complex continuing care unit. The Tillsonburg hospital said Monday that PSW roles will also be eliminated from its acute care unit, but did not specify how many.
“We had no warning at all. We were just all called in together and we didn’t even know we had to fight for our jobs. It was very stressful and there were some tears,” Tillsonburg hospital PSW Jennifer McMaster said.
Jennifer McMaster is among 27 PSWs getting laid off from the Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital. She says the news came as a surprise and will add to an already heavy workload for nurses. (Submitted by Jennifer McMaster)
Both hospitals will follow the layoff process outlined in their collective agreements. Unifor Local 302, which represents PSWs in Tillsonburg said 27 of its members have already received a layoff notice with their jobs ending in September.
Other hospitals cutting jobs
PSWs support patients, alongside nurses and other medical professionals, doing work that includes lifting and turning patients, cleaning and restocking patient bedsides, and helping to manage supplies and equipment.
Other hospitals across the region have also been adjusting their care models, citing changing patient care needs.
Last month, London Health Sciences Centre announced it’s eliminating 212 registered nursing jobs as part of its restructuring. Those roles will be phased out through attrition with people retiring or quitting over the next three to five years.
McMaster is confused by the hospital’s reasoning for layoffs because many PSWs were hired during the COVID pandemic to help with complex care needs. She said she doesn’t understand why, if the demand is greater now, why the jobs are being cut.
McMaster also worries that this will increase an already heavy workload for nurses on these floors, adding that risks for falls, bed sores and other complexities can increase.
“We’re the eyes on the floor, so we see the small things to the large things. We’ve caught people having chest pains and we help them with any of their personal hygiene or feeding. We do one-on-ones, we make sure we monitor the people that are bed jumpers,” she said.
Impacts to patient care
Both hospitals note the changes will not affect patient services or bed capacity and will not impact care delivery.
Miranda Romanowicz, CEO of the Ontario Personal Support Worker Association which represents 60,000 PSWs across the province, disgarees. She said nurses and PSWs usually work as teams and getting rid of that will also increase costs for hospitals.
“The cost is going to go up dramatically,” Romanowicz said. “RNs and RPNs cost more than PSWs. There’s a $2 to $3 difference from an RPN but RNs are expensive as all be.”
LISTEN | Dozens of PSWs laid off at Tillsonburg Hospital:
Afternoon Drive7:32Big changes coming to Tillsonburg’s hospital
Tillsonburg’s hospital is cutting personal support works and increasing nursing resources instead. Ian DaSilva is the COO of the Ontario Personal Support Worker Association. He speaks about the association’s concerns with the changes.
She said Tillsonburg is the fourth Ontario hospital to lay off PSWs, after Niagara, Brantford and St. Thomas, adding that patient health outcomes will be affected by these changes.
“The frustrating part is PSW’s are essential to the health care team. And time and time again, we keep being brought into the fold and then hospitals or other places decide PSW’s are not needed anymore and they put us out of a job or into a different department,” she said.
A Unifor spokesperson said the union is deeply concerned by the layoffs, and plans to fight to keep the jobs.
“PSWs are crucial to quality patient care and provide essential, hands-on support to ensure the dignity, safety, and quality of life for patients every single day,” said spokesperson Paul Whyte.