The sound of the interior – about the crisis in Sahlgrenska

In order to set the budget for next year, the number of services at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital will decrease from 150 to 200.

On Monday, December 3, the budget will be decided by the Sahlgrenska Board of Directors.

"I'm worried about the care of the whole region, but it will hit if it goes, especially for the residents, but also for the staff," says Sara Thulin, a nurse in the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital. Sahlgrenska.

Health care departments can be closed

She fears that departments can not be closed.

"That's what happens if the proposals are decided, then the staff can move in and the patients go elsewhere, either to departments where they do not have the required skills, or to intensive care units. either in highly specialized departments where they would not otherwise be, "says Sara Thulin.

She tells her department to manage through an external team and that this has been granted until February of next year.

"If we can not maintain external staffing, we can meet with another department or lie down – or kneel until we are exhausting ourselves," she says. .

"Create a big concern"

"Most of the measures taken are in the very short term, for example, places of care are closed or moved in a way that causes great concern", wrote the elected representatives of the Career Federation in a WG debate article on Tuesday.

They also consider that it is "counterproductive to use personnel costs as a budget control body".

"The safety of patients and members of the health care association is of great concern," said Anne-Karin Höglund, President of the Västra Götaland Career Federation, and continued:

– The work environment of the members worsens, they must probably do more overtime and the risk that they cause harm to a patient increases. The staff reports that it really works. It hurts the staff who are very tired and worn before … and then you get this.

"Becomes a domino effect"

She thinks all hospital employees suffer from a reduction in the number of services and withdrawal of care facilities.

"Even if you do not work in a department where you go down directly, it will be a domino effect.If, as a patient, you have bile problems, you may end up in a stroke department because it is the only place where there is a place, and the staff is obliged to take care of groups of patients to which they are not accustomed.The patients are less and less supported and the stress of those who work is increasing, "said Anne-Karin Höglund.

It also notes that the already very difficult situation in recruiting nurses is not improving because of the deterioration of the working environment.

– This makes the situation worse. Anne-Karin Höglund said that the risk that employees who believe together and think that it would be better to lose their last motivation and do something else instead

What do you mean to politicians?

– There must be other ways to do this than to further reduce the number of places of care and staff.

Susanne Blom Persson, Sahlgrenska University Hospital of the Confederation of Health Care, said:

"Because we're back with just over 200 million crowns, it's mainly the employees you're going to work on – it's the easiest way to influence the budget." There are fewer places to care and we do not think politicians give us the opportunity to do what we do in the right way.

The president of the SU is not in agreement

Johnny Bröndt, M, is Chairman of the SU Board of Directors. He does not want to subscribe to the dark image that the Federation of Nurses and Nurses give the state of the hospital.

– I'm not worried. This is not as bad as it may seem sometimes. We have a hospital that works very well. We have excellent medical care at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and we will have it in the future as well, "he said.

Staff worried about his work environment and patient safety. What do you say?

– I fully respect their concerns. But we can not live on our assets.

Johnny Bröndt does not think either that it is about saving money.

"We are not talking about savings, but the company has to adapt to the budget we have.Every year, the current mandate has added to the economy of Sahlgrenska, without any economy. Even next year, the hospital will receive additional money.In addition, some companies have hired more staff than expected.This needs to be corrected now.It is currently about 100 to 200 services.

Returns with 150-200 million

He notes that the hospital is back between 150 and 200 million, and the ambition is to make the figure as low as possible.

"We can not do this in 2018, so next year there will be adjustments in the budget.This means that temporary employment and temporary employment will not be extended.

Budgetary adjustments, it always sounds like savings?

– Some companies have too big a suit. It must be adjusted. But there is no general savings if you look at the overall economy. But in individual companies, it is about budgetary adjustments.

Anne-Karin Höglund responds to Johnny Brönd's statement that he is not worried and that he does not consider the situation so serious:

"It's easy to say when you're not sick or taking care of yourself, but if you're a patient or staff member trying to provide quality and safe care, you should so be worried, she said.

"As soon as the budget was loaded for 2017, we said it was too low and that" you order more care than you pay for. "It turned out that it was also. As you continue to not spend enough money for the care you order, you need to deduct it from care facilities and staff – that is what they are supposed to do.

He thinks it is not a question of savings, what do you think?

– Haha, what is the difference between budget adjustments and savings?

Director of the hospital: "No club yet"

Hospital director Ann-Marie Wennberg Larkö said on Tuesday afternoon that the budget process was still ongoing and that "nothing was still canned".

It does not say anything about the exact figures but confirms that it was about savings of the order of a few hundred million crowns and that it had been proposed to close centers of care.

– This is what we are currently looking at in the budget process. It does not do any good to block accurate numbers, she says.

Ann-Marie Wennberg Larkö notes that it is now necessary to change care and work in new ways.

"If we continue like today, we will not be able to, our employees can not run faster, care needs to be developed, for example, advances in medicine are progressing and we can practice more and more." 39 Surgical procedures in day surgery Procedures decrease and patients can often return home the same day, she says.

This means fewer places of care are needed and care becomes less personal.

"Provides specialized home care"

"We are also developing our care by providing mobile teams and providing specialized care to frail elderly patients at home, which means they do not need to go to the hospital, says Ann-Marie Wennberg Larkö and continues:

"It is desirable to go to places of care where it is also better for patients, but I want to point out that in some companies we have to open more shelters.

She noted that measurable improvements have been made, including emergency services, and provides examples of improvements to be made:

"It's important to remove administrative information from nurses so that they can focus on their core activities, and to help patients go to the bathroom, have coffee or food, do not be a nurse." graduated from the university.Here, nurses need help.