24 hours without MOT
“Not once, but twice, we demonstrated that it is possible to significantly reduce MOT. Now, that those with the power can take action and concrete measures to make this scourge disappear from the healthcare system”, stated Nancy Bédard, President of the FIQ.
At the end of its 24 hours for the quality and safety of care, the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec – FIQ makes the same uncompromising observation as for its day on April 8. “Not once, but twice, we demonstrated that it is possible to significantly reduce MOT.Whenemployers really put time and energy into planning schedules and schedule sufficient staff, the vast majority of healthcare professionals can hope to have a normal workday and not be systematically forced to work MOT. Now, those in power can take action and concrete measures to make this scourge disappear from the healthcare system permanently”, stated Nancy Bédard, President of the FIQ.
Even if the last 24 hours were not completely free of MOT, it’s obvious that the healthcare professionals’ situation was light years removed from what they normally experience every day. “To force people to stay after a day of work should not happen to anyone in Québec. Using MOT as a management method is organizational violence, which should not be tolerated any longer. Unfortunately, knowing that as of tomorrow, a good number of managers will go back to their bad management habits, the demonstration of the last 24 hours must not be in vain. If we want enough healthcare professionals to give quality and safe care in the short, medium and long term, they must be attracted to and kept in the healthcare system and that inevitably comes through less workload and the elimination of harmful management strategies such as MOT, unreplaced absences and substitutions of job titles”, added the president.
The fundamental role of the DON
It is clear that the FIQ will be relentless in this fight and will use all tools at its disposal for things to change. “Once again, we have jolted all the players in the system to this MOT management method, harmful for both healthcare professionals and the quality and safety of care they provide. Furthermore, it is to discuss this issue that all our affiliated unions sent, or will do so soon, a request for a meeting with their institution’s Director of Nursing (DON). The DONs monitor and control the quality of nursing care in the institutions and MOT, like unreplaced absences and substitutions of job titles clearly go against this objective. We hope they will answer these invitations quickly and positively because there is not a minute to lose”, continued Ms. Bédard.
Expected announcements
The Federation now hopes that the Minister of Health, Danielle McCann, will evaluate those 24 hours with all of her managers, that she has heard the healthcare professionals and that she will quickly announce what types of measures she will implement to step up the pace. “Ms. McCann was relatively quiet over the last few days and we are very anxious to hear what she has to say. Healthcare professionals cannot go through the coming winter months, a time when the pressure on healthcare professionals is particularly strong, with the current conditions. Over the last year, we gave the Minister of Health a multitude of solutions, including the healthcare professional-to-patient ratios. If we don’t want the situation to be as critical as it was last winter in the healthcare institutions, a roll-out plan for the ratios must be worked on quickly and upgrading positions must be given another spin to stabilize the work teams, particularly for licensed practical nurses. The minister must send a positive message to the healthcare professionals that abolishing MOT is still among her main priorities and that she will act as of now”, concluded the president.