Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital has announced it will lay off 23 nurses due to staff restructuring.

The hospital’s push to balance budget with patient care has resulted in staffing changes to acute, surgical and relief staff.

The “balancing act” will save the hospital $500,000, estimates Frank Marino, Interior Health's community administrator.

News of these changes was informally announced Monday but the adjustments won’t occur until next year.

Five registered nurses and five licensed practical nurses will be let go from acute care, where five care aides will make up for the staff shortfall.

“We’ve had quite a large number of people waiting for residential placement here on the medical floor,” said Marino. “The question was, how can we treat these patients?”

Currently there are about 15 seniors living in the hospital, while they wait for a residential bed in Greater Trail.

“Ideally, we’re still looking at getting the number down and when that happens, will again have to adjust,” said Marino.

“Care aides are used to dealing with these folks, it’s a different approach that will free up RNs to deal with those who are acutely ill,” he said.

Care aides help seniors with day-to-day activity, such as walking, eating and getting dressed. These professionals focus on activities that keep seniors cognitive and stimulated.

The surgical floor will go from having two registered nurses and two licensed practical nurses a night, to three RNs and one LPN. On the medical floor, LPNs will now work 12-hour shifts instead of eight. Changes to the surgical floor are also a reflection of patients’ needs, said Marino.

Relief staff will also be cut. KBRH will axe five LPNs and change eight fill-in RNs’ schedules from three-quarter time to half-time. No relief staff will be pulled from the intensive care unit, said Marino.

“There is still retirement foreseen in the near future, as well as fill-in for young employees going on (maternity) leave.”

The displaced workers can look to fill the few new positions that will open up at the hospital or can check out other positions in the region.

“It’s going to be difficult to go through these changes, but we’re working with the staff and union to work on solutions,” he said of the restructured staffing model to come into effect at the end of January.

Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson also laid off six nurses this week, as a way to deal with seniors temporarily living in the hospital, the Nelson Daily News reported.

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