North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood AM has this afternoon criticised the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services for failing to prevent a decision by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to scrap paid breaks for nurses ‘other than in those circumstances set out’.
Speaking in the Opposition Debate on the Health Board’s controversial new rotas for nursing staff, which will be implemented in January, Mr Isherwood said with the Health Board being in Special Measures and therefore under the direct control of the Welsh Government Health Minister, it is vital for him to “take responsibility and act”.
He said:
“We regret that the Minister for Health and Social Services has failed to prevent this decision from being made.
“We further regret that the number of working days lost due to stress and mental health related issues in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has increased by 20 per cent since 2014.
“And we note that the Health Board has been in special measures for more than four years and is therefore under the direct control of the Minister for Health and Social Services.
“Effective management understands that stress and burn out are primary causes of high staff absenteeism, as are the low morale and lack of motivation which occur when staff feel undervalued and underappreciated.
“Effective management implements programmes that encourage employee health and wellbeing, with physical and mental health at the forefront.
“However, a managerialist failure to understand what this means is evidenced by this Health Board’s decision”.
“We cannot know whether the blame lies entirely with Senior Health Board management – or whether micro-management from above by a Welsh Government with its own blinkered agenda is to blame.”
Mr Isherwood added: “It was reported in the Local Press yesterday that the Unite Union’s Regional Co-ordinating Officer had stated that the proposed changes could push staff into financial hardship, that “staff are angry and are willing to take industrial action” which he had never heard nurses say before, and that the Union was prepared to ballot members on industrial action unless senior figures reconsider their decision.
Mr Isherwood said many nurses have written to him outlining their concerns and quoted several of them in the Chamber (see notes below).
He added: “However, after I wrote to this Health Minister with these concerns, he replied that neither he nor his officials can intervene in these operational matters, but, in light of the concerns raised, he had written to the Health Board Chair to look into the matter and respond directly.
“If Special Measures is to mean anything the Welsh Government must take responsibility and act”.
ENDS
Notes:
Quotes from nurses who have written to Mr Isherwood outlining their concerns:
“If Betsi proceeds with their current plans they risk alienating further the staff they depend on. Also recruitment to fill vacant posts with are already difficult to fill will be negatively affected”.
“I do not know how someone working fulltime with a family will be able to manage. I am seriously considering leaving my profession and I know of many others thinking of doing the same, which will not help the national shortage problem”.
“I am writing to ask you help to represent nurses that are facing a change on their rota system that will leave them worse off........the change is reactive and has small chance of helping to redress the agency budget, and will have a knock on effect in my opinion on staff engagement for the Board that will lead to greater difficulties in the long term”.
“In a 12 and a half hour shift in which you are on your feet for most of that time breaks are vital but due to the workload we wouldn't always take our breaks or they would be disturbed or shorter than needed. Making the breaks unpaid will not change this, it will just mean the nurses work extra in the long term”.
“I am almost always the only Band 7 midwife on a night shift. This means that I am never able to take my break. I never claim time back for not having a break. What I will say though is, if this proposed change come into force, I will be claiming every second extra that I work and I am sure that all of my colleagues will too”.
