Healthcare, staff shortage ready to explode like a time bomb: Lombardy and Campania alarm – THE NURSING UP INVESTIGATION
The emergency linked to the shortage of nursing staff, which absolutely represents the number one, sadly unresolved deficit of our “dilapidated” healthcare system, risks turning into a real boomerang in view of the coming months, the historically most difficult and delicate ones for those hospitals and healthcare facilities already put to the test by staffing levels that have long been reduced to the bone. Lombardy and Campania, from June onwards, will undoubtedly be the two main regions where “a truly scorching summer” is announced for our professionals in the non-medical area, in particular due to the precarious situation of the emergency rooms and, naturally also for the other emergency-urgency departments, where immediate insertion of professionals would be necessary, who inevitably are missing from the call between realities competitions which most of the time end up deserted due to the meager economic offers, and a decidedly deficient hiring plan due to the incomplete regional policies.
«We have tried, with our local representatives, to examine the most delicate situations. We have done so in recent days and will continue to do so for all other territories as well. At this moment, in the eye of the storm, there are entities such as the ASST of Lecco, dealing daily with the flight of professionals towards Switzerland. The Lecco healthcare company would have an immediate need for 400 nurses.
Going down to the south, we can only talk about Campania, where, alongside the chronic emergencies of entities that have always been in difficulty such as Cardarelli, situations emerge that are nothing short of “explosive” such as those of the Ospedale dal Mare, one of the main city emergency rooms, dealing with a surplus of patients who since the month of March is unmanageable for the few nurses “remaining in the trenches”. Here the emergency, we are in Campania, our representatives tell us, is perennial, and is only destined to worsen further”.
Thus Antonio De Palma, National President of Nursing Up.
«In the provinces of Lombardy closest to Switzerland, in particular in the health area of Lecco, but also in the Como area, i.e. in the Lariana ASST, with healthcare facilities such as the Manzoni and Sant’Anna hospitals in first place, in terms of severity, respectively, there is a risk between now and short a real meltdown. The beds, already numerically limited, could be further reduced by 10% to guarantee a minimum of holidays and decent shifts for the few remaining nurses, while there is a risk of closures of key departments and emergency rooms with access definitely “over the limit”.
However, our representatives always tell us, it is not certain that we will end up guaranteeing holidays for everyone, with the serious risk of denying a sacrosanct right of workers. And it certainly wouldn’t be the first time.
Furthermore, an average of at least 12-13 patients managed by each nurse is announced. We are well aware that these are disproportionate figures, since each professional should not exceed 6 patients to guarantee quality services to citizens.
HERE LOMBARDY – In reality, like the ASST Lecco, the only solution on the horizon appears to be that of an imminent “cut” of beds, the only practicable one, whilst maintaining the services active. On the other hand, even if today a tender is open for the hiring of just 60 nurses, it is not yet known whether it will be possible to fill all the boxes and, in any case, once the competition has been held (which will start on May 17th) , we really don’t know what will happen and how many will respond to the economic proposals which certainly do not promise to be attractive.
In fact, many of those who are eligible may also decide to go to other hospitals. All this has a significant impact on the health crisis of a territory, Lombardy, where, in fact, the attractive offers continue to arrive from nearby Switzerland (which pays at least double what a nurse receives in Italy), but above all the rents, in especially in Como, they can even exceed 1500 euros per month, this means that they go well beyond the basic salary of a nurse.
HERE CAMPANIA – The Ospedale del Mare is the absolute emblem of the crisis in Campania’s hospitals. Since the month of March, the city’s health facility has found itself in an emergency room in disarray, packed full of stretchers: the East Naples garrison has had the front line perpetually blocked for a few weeks and the emergency area is in great difficulty. There is a record high influx coming especially from the hospitals of the ASL Napoli 3 sud where, in Nola and Castellammare, emergency access for strokes has been suspended for at least a month. The activities of the Stroke Unit, which operated during the day in Nola and 24 hours in San Leonardo, were suspended by the strategic management due to the resignations presented by some neurologists hired in September last year.
«We will carefully follow the evolution of the situations with our regional and provincial coordinators, says De Palma. A new, very hot summer is on the horizon for Italian nurses and health services.”
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