L’Hôpital du Suroît, l’une des urgences les plus occupées au Québec, qui a dû fermer en september 2021 faute de personnel, semble avoir trouvé la solution à taux d’occupation extrême qui frisait’ ya moinsd 300% il .
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Since January, the stretcher occupancy rate has remained steady at 125%, and 14 nurses who had left the emergency room have returned to work in another department or institution.
What explains this success? A new way to manage human resources, creating a dedicated team to solve problems that affect the workflow in an emergency situation.
“We are very proud of the situation, it is a team effort. What made the big difference from January onwards was the creation of an intervention team that would take care of problems as soon as they arise. It is made up of doctors, nurses, people in units and home support,” explains Dominique Bellon, director of hospital activities at Hôpital du Soroît.
In addition to this team, schedule management has also greatly improved. The management tries to accommodate the employees in order to provide shifts that suit them and make their lives easier.
Compulsory overtime (TSO) is rarely used, we are even talking about voluntary overtime, a concept that makes a huge difference to employees.
“We also talk about independent setting of schedules, employees currently decide their schedule. They do one weekend out of two, out of three. Some are twelve hours, some are eight.” Nouvelles, that this is much better for the work climate and all that helps with the lower occupancy rate.
Management is so effective that 14 nurses who had left the emergency department are now back to work there.
“There is a better working climate, better conditions and ultimately better quality of care,” adds Ms. Durocher.