Ratios project in Emergency at the Hôpital de Hull: healthcare professionals and patients entering a “Ratios Zone”
After months of preparation to set up healthcare professional-to-patient ratios, the project completed a crucial step today when the implementation stage started. The Emergency Department at the Hôpital de Hull has officially entered a “Ratios Zone”. The committee in charge of the project wanted to mark the event with Adélaïde Lenoir, union representative for the CH de Hull, Amélie Lalonde-Lacaille, Nurse in Emergency at the CH de Hull and member of the local joint committee, Lyne Plante, President of the Syndicat des Professionnelles en Soins de l’Outaouais (SPSO), Nancy Roy, union representative at the CH de Gatineau and member of the local joint committee, and Samuel Pelchat Goulet, Union Consultant and member of the local joint committee.
“We have a lot of hope for this project, which, we want to mention, is the only one in an Emergency Department in the province. Ratios are the most promising solution for combating the excessive workload, which has been so often denounced, and for offering better care to the public. In sufficient numbers, the healthcare professionals will finally have the time to care for the patients on the level they want to give care. We have already seen an improvement in the workload and the time the healthcare professionals can spend with the patients. The local joint committee worked on this solution in a spirit of collaboration”, explained Lyne Plante, President of the Syndicat des Professionnelles en Soins de l’Outaouais.
This implementation stage will last four months, during which the improvement in responding to patients’ needs and the staff’s practice conditions will be documented. The next steps will be the report on the project and proposing measures for maintaining the ratios.
“We are at the beginning of an historic action which will make a difference in improving the quality and safety of care in the region and throughout Québec. This project is essential and politicians must support the healthcare professionals and send clear messages so that these projects can be rolled out and we get a law”, stated Lyne Plante, President of the SPSO.