The Public Hospitals Authority yesterday announced the implementation of a new shift system for all nurses employed with them effective Monday December 10th 2018.
This came after the PHA implemented a five-on, two-off shift system for night duty nurses to eliminate the nursing shortage with hospitals in New Providence and Grand Bahama.
Acting Hospital Administrator for the Princess Margaret Hospital, Sonia Rose said, “the new shift system will eliminate the inequity cost of the four nights on, four nights off shift system, which results in night duty nurses working only 157 days per year on average, compared to 234 days per year on average for all other nurses.”
This new system will establish a 40 hour work week and an 8 hour daily shift as opposed to the current 10 hour shift for night duty nurses.
In consideration of this, the PHA agreed with the Bahamas Nurses Union to pay all nurses scheduled to work between the hours of 6pm and 6am, $1.75 in addition to their standard base hourly pay.
While the PHA admitted that this has been a long time coming, Ms. Rose said that they are confident that this will open the door to better staffing in their patient wards, with the hope of having better patient outcomes, as a result of the improved staffing levels.
