By Troy Gillard (Twitter: @Troy_Gillard)

AHS says it’s filling 27 ER nursing positions at Red Deer Regional

Jul 30, 2018 | 2:00 PM

Alberta Health Services says it is working to resolve staffing challenges in the emergency department at Red Deer Regional Hospital.

AHS says in a statement that they are in the process of filling 27 nursing positions, including hiring 12 registered nurses to fill vacancies due to retirements or out-of-department transfers.

Offers have been extended to six candidates, AHS says, while interviews continue for another three positions. Posting for the final three positions closed July 27 with candidates being shortlisted for interviews.

“We are working through the hiring process as quickly as we can and will have many of these new staff on the unit before the end of August,” AHS says in their statement.

Alberta Health Services says it has also started work to fill 15 new RN positions to “establish a new regularized relief rotation for critical care” at the hospital.

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The first eight positions for the rotation, postings for which went out July 23, will eventually support the emergency department, ICU and Cardiac care units. AHS says the immediate plan is for these positions to support the emergency department until they are able to stabilize staffing levels.

“We are utilizing the expertise of appropriate nursing staff from other areas of the hospital, as well as hospitals in Calgary, by providing orientation and training to help care for emergency department patients in Red Deer,” the AHS statement reads.

An additional seven new permanent part-time RN positions are to be posted this week.

United Nurses Alberta has filed a grievance over the staffing situation at the Red Deer Regional Hospital emergency department.

UNA representatives are scheduled to meet Wednesday with Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman to discuss the situation.