The serious situation arising from the lack of nurses from which retirement homes suffer and the need to coordinate the health and social rights services of the Government of Navarra to address this were at the center of the meeting recently organized by the Official College of Nurses of Navarre (COENAV) with the heads of the two departments.
“We believe that the best healthcare for residents cannot be provided without the coordination and collaboration of both departments and we insist that it is time to implement short, medium and long term solutions to have a socio-health care system for dependent people which is of quality, safe, fair and which corresponds to them by law”, declares Isabel Iturrioz, president of COENAV.
CONSEQUENCES FOR RESIDENTS
As indicated by COENAV representatives, the lack of nurses in residences for the elderly This has consequences for the people who live there.
This is highlighted by the study commissioned by the Professional Association of the Inno-CARE research group of the Public University of Navarra, which shows the impact of the provision of nurses on the quality of care in these centers and their effects on health. people.
As explained during the meeting, this the lack of nurses has different consequences For people residing in said centers:
Deterioration in the quality of care, with increased risks related to patient safety. Intrusion of professionals with different qualifications and, therefore, without the necessary skills to provide healthcare typical of nurses.
Loss of patient rightslinked to accessibility to quality health care.
COENAV continually receives requests and notifications on possible case of intrusion which threaten the nursing profession and, above all, endanger the health of the people who live in these centers.
“We have communicated to both ministries the need to adopt urgent and coordinated measures to resolve these situations which have been common for some time. Although we intervened in all cases“We consider that the current situation is impossible to resolve without the coordinated action of both departments to attract and retain nurses in the sector,” says the president of COENAV, Isabel Iturrioz.
NEEDS IN THE SOCIAL HEALTH FIELD
Thus, the needs of socio-health field that COENAV transferred to the representatives of the two ministries are the following:
Coordination and collaboration continuity between the Department of Social Rights and the Department of Health for the health care of users of these centers, both at the institutional level and in the practice of professional care.
Training of health professionals in the social and health field in accordance with the training provided within the Health Department, to thus guarantee fairness of care regardless of the patient’s home.
Access and training to IT tools of the SNS-Osasunbidea, which ensure continuity of care and the maintenance of a unique clinical history.
An adequate nurse ratio based on care needs, and not solely on the basis of dependency or economic criteria.
THE low salaries for nurses who work in these centers and the working conditions do not promote safe practice of care, quality care or professional development.
This is one of the main reasons why the sector fails to attract professionals, which is why the College of Nursing insists on the need to improve these conditions in the provincial agreement currently being negotiated.
