(July 27, 2022) – : Paul Dinn, PC Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Health and Community Services and MHA for Topsail - Paradise, is responding to a recent access to information request his office has received regarding the critical shortage of nursing staff at long-term care facilities and the resulting empty beds.

The access to information request highlighted 93 vacant beds across 4 facilities in St. John’s with over 160 staff vacancies.

Dinn says, “The nursing staff shortage, and healthcare staff in general, are reaching critically low levels across the province. As a result, we are seeing beds that are empty in long-term care facilities that otherwise could be occupied by those on the waitlist. What people may not realize is that this is intimately connected to hospital beds as well, as many patients across the province could be moved out of hospital to long-term care facilities but can’t due to a lack of staff.”

Yesterday, the President of the Registered Nurses Union, Yvette Coffey, specifically highlighted that 900 of her members are eligible to retire with only 200 nurses graduating this year in the province.

“The number of staff eligible for retirement is something that this Liberal government has known for years now. Our offices are receiving an ever-increasing amount of calls from concerned family members trying to ensure their parents or grandparents are taken care of as they age. We have the oldest population in the country and our seniors deserve dignity and respect.”

“The situation is incredibly concerning and is only projected to get worse. This Liberal government needs to act. The health and wellbeing of all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians depend on it,” says Dinn.

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Contacts:

Bradley Russell

Director of Digital Strategy

(cell) 709-729-3668

bradleyrussell@gov.nl.ca