Leiria hospital emergency nurses decry lack of safety and resources

Nurses from the Leiria Hospital Emergency Service delivered a letter to the Leiria Regional Health Authority this Friday, denouncing the lack of security and human resources.

In a letter accessed by Lusa’s agency, the nursing team providing emergency services warned the board of directors of a lack of physical security, as incidents of threats to the physical integrity of professionals are repeated, with attacks committed and reported.

There have also been reports of “frequent daily verbal abuse” often linked to waiting times for medical attention, which nurses say they are unaware of and regret that precautions have not been taken to ensure the safety of professionals.

Nurses also decry the lack of human resources, which has resulted in multidisciplinary tasks being carried out by an “already very worn-out nursing team”.

Extra shifts are constant, “there are several gaps in the schedules that no longer meet the needs of the service,” and safety precautions are not being followed, they also note, warning of noticeable wear and tear of materials that could put them at risk for the user.

In solidarity with the team, the Portuguese Nurses’ Union (SEP) in a note sent to Lusa confirms that nurses work around three thousand hours more per month, and also criticises the physical capacity of the emergency service, which they consider “inadequate to practice nursing with safety, confidentiality and dignity”.

The PKR also condemns hospitalisations and long-term stays of users in emergency services, “which consistently exceed acceptable standards”. [tempos] are provided for by the established guidelines themselves.”

Nurses believe that the increase in the number of users in the ED entails an increase in nurses’ workload, as well as a loss of care provided to users “and a potential reduction in their morbidity given their constant presence on the ED stretcher.”

Permanent employment for all precariously employed nurses remains a requirement of the SRP. “In view of the prolongation and worsening of increasingly degrading conditions in the emergency service, we cannot allow these situations to exist and continue, as they ignore the principles governing nursing and the rights of the population in the provision of care,” he added.

“In an environment close to team breakdown, with some significant levels of burnout, demotivation and demoralization,” the nurses are asking the board to take steps that “will restore motivation and dignity to the work environment while improving the quality and safety of care provided.”