Losing Hospital Home Team a 'front-line' cut: Nurses Union

Nurses are worriedchronically ill patients being cared for by the HospitalHome Teamare being left in the lurch.

Manitoba Nurses Union president Sandi Mowat says she found out through media reports this morning that the programis being cut with no notice.

"I am not very happy about it. The members I represent feel strongly about this program. They are concerned and we are concerned we weren't given proper notification," said Mowat.

About 10 nurses who worked in theprogram delivered care to around550 chronically ill Winnipeggers in their homes.

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"This, in my opinion, would be a cut to front-line staff. It's a valuable service that has been successful by improving the quality of life for patientsand preventing admission to hospital," she said.

Funding not renewed

The Hospital Home Team started as a pilot projectin 2012. The following year the province gave the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority $1.7 million annually to support the program.That funding ends March 31, 2017.

The WHRAsaid the funding is simply not being renewed.

In a written statement, vice-presidentReal Cloutierreassured staff that there would be "no interruption to health services for clients."

"They will continue to receive health services that will be co-ordinated through home care offices," Cloutier wrote.

The statement said the program "did not yield the results we'd hoped for."

Mowatsaid she believes the program was successful."It improved the quality of the patient'slife, which is a huge issue. But it also prevented them from making repeated visits to emergency because they had access to a doctor, a nurse practitioner and a primary care nurse in their home setting."

But Cloutier said those outcomes were not enough to justify the cost.

The province recently issued a directive to the WRHA to find $83 million in savings this year.

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Mowat wonders if axing the Hospital Home Teamis part of the WRHA's attempt to meet the province's directive.

She says nurses were anxious about losing their jobs so all but two of the 10 have found other work.

The WRHAadmitsthe uncertainty has created worry.

"I completely understand that people need to make choices and respect individual decisions that are being made. Currently we are not backfilling positions that are vacant," the statement said.

The next steps for the remainingstaff will be determined in the 2017-18 budget, Cloutier said.