N.L. Eastern and Central Health authorities cancel surgeries

Two of Newfoundland and Labrador's health authorities said Thursday afternoon they will cancel surgeries and scale back operations in order to handle job action by nurses next week, while the nurses union said its members will effectively be locked out.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses' Union said Tuesday that it will launch what it calls an overtime strike on May 20, with more than 5,000 members refusing to work on days off, or accept calls in to work.

Louise Jones, the acting CEO of Eastern Health, the province's largest health authority, said the nurses may not be on a full blown strike, but the authority is acting as if they were. The authority will close 11 of St. John's 19 operating rooms and cancel dozens of surgeries per week, she said.

"All patients who will have services cancelled will be notified by Eastern Health staff. And in addition, we advise patients to call their respective clinics for confirmation of appointments that will be maintained during the period," she said.

With staff shortages, Eastern Health relies heavily on nurses' overtime work simply to deliver a basic level of care. The authority said the unpredictability of an overtime strike makes it hard for the health authority to manage its workforce and provide health services.

Jones said she is cancelling elective and non-urgent procedures to put the focus on emergency rooms and life-critical surgeries.

"During the strike period, Eastern Health will only deal with urgent and emergent cases in areas that require nursing care," she said.

To make sure that can happen, Jones is asking the nurses union to honour its essential services agreement and provide enough staff to maintain that level of care. If the nurses refuse to do that, Jones said she might have to go to court to force them to.

After Jones made her comments, nurses union president Debbie Forward told reporters the union had received letters from the province's four health authorities that the union said indicates nurses will effectively be locked out on May 20.

The letters are an admission that there is a critical nurses shortage and the system is being run on overtime, she said.

Officials with the Central Health authority said in an email that that all patients who may be safely discharged will be released. Elective surgeries will be cancelled and clients will be contacted. Admissions and surgeries will be limited to emergencies only.