Bellevue staff vexed
A number of psychiatric nursing staff at Bellevue Hospital in Kingston stayed off the job yesterday over impending cuts in their salaries due to adjustments in the payment formula for the number of hours they work per session. In addition, they are to repay monies the Government said was paid to them in error over the past five years.
The changes to the payment formula resulted from an audit carried out by the Ministry of Health, and should have been implemented from as far back as 2009. But chairman of the hospital board, Dr Winston Delahaye, says he only got hold of the document a few days ago.
“I have the document now. Potentially, this impacts future earnings for those groups (but) we have to find a method to get those extra monies back. We understand that this could lead to some feelings of anxiety, if not disappointment,” Delahaye told the Jamaica Observer last evening.
He said he was aware that there were some “irregularities in staffing” at the hospital in east Kingston, but was uncertain about the number of people who did not show up, or called in sick.
The chairman could not give a reason why the report had not been submitted to Bellevue before, but said: “We are very happy that it was picked up.” He added that the process would begin to recoup the funds, while at the same time providing the necessary support and clarity to staff.
Dr Delahaye explained that up to 2009, these categories of workers would be paid for four hours if they worked a shift of up to three hours, because the sessions were always considered a block of four hours. But following the audit, a decision was made to pay for sessions on a pro-rated basis, so that these groups are now to be paid for the exact number of hours that they work per session. It is not clear just how much has been overpaid to the workers.
He said to his knowledge, no deductions have begun. According to Dr Delahaye, management has in fact been having meetings with the staff, and another such forum is scheduled for today.
Yesterday, the Observer was told that a significant number of staff in the affected categories not only stayed off the job over salaries, but also because of other long-standing grouses with management over conditions at the 21-ward mental health facility.
A source close to the situation told the Observer that the multi-unionised staff have been frustrated for some time now.
According to the source, monies have already been deducted from people’s salaries, and that this is what triggered the protest.
“The members are frustrated with the fact that the management went ahead and withdrew money from their salaries. They paid them for less hours, which resulted in each person getting less money, so they are restive about it, and they have been disgruntled about it, and they have been restive for some time now, about some other underlying issues. It is reflected in what happened today, and you could see the same thing tomorrow,” the source said.
“They are seeking clarity. They are saying the management should not have gone ahead and withdrawn any money from their salary. This is something that should have been discussed with the staff members. They are hoping that arising from this, some meeting can be arranged, and that some closure will come,” added the source, who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation.
The hospital, which houses just over 700 patients, operates a three-shift system. The source said even though the staff numbers roughly 650, based on the shifts, the volume of patients, and the number of wards, there is still a severe shortfall in the staff-to-patient ratio.
“Working conditions and staffing are issues,” the source said. “Members complain that sometimes you have 40-odd patients, with one member of staff. The staff feel victimised, that the management is out to get them, and so on… lack of resources, the limited manpower, and sometimes people are working without break time, because they alone are working on the ward. Safety is a concern as well. Within the past two weeks, two of our colleagues were held up and robbed.”