“In psychiatry, it’s hell,” summed up one of the health workers in this critical department, asking that her identity be kept secret.
The psychiatry unit at the Granby hospital has 24 beds, which are constantly occupied. To the point where several patients, potentially aggressive or disorganized, are sent to the emergency room. We are therefore witnessing a “domino effect”, which creates safety issues, both for staff and patients, reported The Voice of the East on August 2nd.
After days of searching for solutions, the CIUSSS finally opted to add two psychiatric beds. This is the “straw that broke the camel’s back,” said our source who works in this department.
“So that patients [de psychiatrie] have better care, they have to be on the same unit. But, it takes more [d’effectifs]. Adding two rooms, without anything else, is absurd. It’s nonsense.”
“Where will the psychiatrist and social worker meet with patients? Not to mention that it will just overload the staff, who already have to deal with very agitated and demanding patients. It’s our safety and our health that is at stake. But, it’s not that important,” she said ironically.
This approach is also viewed very negatively in the emergency room. “Really! Another proof that the leaders are disconnected from the reality on the ground. The real problem is that there are too many patients waiting for accommodation everywhere in the hospital. So, it overflows. Making two rooms in offices in psychiatry is not even a plaster “on the boo-boo,” lamented a nurse.
The FIQ union in Estrie, which represents nurses among others, says it questioned the employer as to whether it had the manpower to increase the number of psychiatric beds.
“We were told no,” said Alicia Desruisseaux, the union’s vice-president of labor relations, in an interview. […] How can we open overflow beds when we don’t have the staff to do it? And things aren’t going well in the emergency room either, which is at 195% occupancy. [sur civières]. It is obvious that this is dangerous for our members and for patients.”
The idea of placing psychiatric patients who are less at risk of decompensation on another unit was put on the table, indicated the FIQ representative. “But that is not the option chosen by the employer.”
The “unloved”
When we talk about accommodation, it is not only about elderly people who have mental health problems. In psychiatry, we are also daily with young people, particularly drug addicts, stressed the person who works on the unit.
“They have often gone through several resources, but it never worked. As soon as they find themselves back on the street, they start using drugs again and becoming disorganized. Sometimes, it can take up to two years before they have a place. Managing this type of clientele day after day is not easy. They have major behavioral problems.”
This reality is hampering the recruitment of staff in psychiatry.
“The department is extremely hectic,” said the woman who works there. “It takes nerves of steel. We often deal with aggressive, unstable people. People are afraid to come and work in psychiatry. With two people on the floor at night, if you get cornered by a patient in a room, you’re in a really bad situation.”
To adequately meet the needs of the psychiatry department, at least 30 beds would be needed, our source estimated. According to her, the safe patient/staff ratio is 6 to 1.
On the CIUSSS side, Éliane Thibault, from the communications department, confirmed by email that “the volume of visits from users requiring mental health care at the Granby emergency room is not negligible.”
Regarding the decisions made by the employer, she indicated that they “are the most coherent in the current context in order to offer appropriate care in an environment adapted to the needs of these users.” The CIUSSS is also doing its utmost to support the teams “who are currently dealing on a daily basis with increased needs for care and services,” mentioned the organization’s representative.
Note that the 4th floor of the hospital, left vacant since the move in 2021 of the clientele losing their autonomy to the new CHSLD Leclerc, must accommodate the mother-child center. The psychiatric unit must also be set up there, the reception capacity of which must be considerably increased. The two projects, described as “priority” by the CIUSSS, have still not been completed.
