00:00Touch one nurse and you touch all. That is the message from the TNT Registered Nurses Association
00:05to the North Central Regional Health Authority. According to the TTRNA, as of yesterday,
00:12nurses have come under threat from their nursing supervisors and managers. TTRNA President Edistio
00:18tells us while the international standard nurse-to-patient ratio is one to four, nurses at
00:24Mount Hope are implementing one to six. It began on April 28th as the government marked its one year
00:31in office. But we're told that there is pushback from upper management of the NCRHA to lower management.
00:38They want them to break the quality care that the nurses are attempting to deliver to patients.
00:46It's really unfortunate. And in turn, the nursing managers and supervisors are threatening our
00:53nursing and military personnel. But Stuart indicates a readiness to fight as he accuses management of
00:59intimidation tactics. The association would not tolerate it. In fact, and indeed, if one single
01:07nurse is terminated, because that is what they are telling them, that they would terminate their
01:12contracts of employment, especially those persons who are not permanently employed, they're going to
01:17fire them. But they are not putting it in writing. And we are telling them any single nurse that is
01:24terminated, they would be held to pay by the nursing associations. The TTRNA expounds using a recently
01:32shared sentiment. If they come for a single nurse, if they come for our eye, as our prime minister said,
01:40we will take off their heads. According to Stuart, the NCRHA cannot function without pooling,
01:46which has been significantly reduced under the new Tim Gopi Singh-led board.
01:51Because I would tell members of the public, NCRHA has half the required numbers of nursing personnel
01:58to safely treat persons. On every ward that we have gone on, you have half the required numbers of
02:08nursing personnel. He claims that while many RHAs have around 80 nurses to cover the ANE shift system
02:14for a month, NCRHA is falling way behind. In NCRHA, they have 40. Even up to yesterday,
02:22they were being threatened and being told that they must see about 10 patients. They must see about 20
02:30patients. And we are asking nursing personnel, let the supervisors, let Tim Gopi Singh,
02:36put it in writing, that you must see about 20 patients.
02:40The association has told nurses who are faced with such situations to write formally to management
02:46in order for management to find the necessary staff required.
02:51Stuart also claims that time back is now being offered as compensation for overtime,
02:55which the association rejects, noting that they are working on 2013 salaries.
03:01Stuart says the TTRNA has now filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
03:08Where we want to see the death rates, particularly on the evening and night shift,
03:14when you end up with one nurse on a ward or two nurses for the most, we have asked them
03:19for that.
03:20And we'll be publishing that information and comparing it with all other RHAs.
03:25When did you file this FOIA?
03:27Just yesterday, because we realize that our honorable minister of health continues to indicate there's
03:34no issue. There's no impasse.
03:37And he further tells us that the present hiring is replacing those who have recently left,
03:42but not a serious shortage that he points to.
03:45On another note, Stuart says the process which began under the former administration to make temporary
03:51staff permanent continues. Reporting from the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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