It was at the end of last year that the Swedish Work Environment Authority visited psychiatry at Sunderby Hospital and Gällivare Hospital. Supervision is part of the authority’s national and the purpose is to control how the municipalities work with the work environment.
Can’t get staffing nurses
During the inspection at Sunderby Hospital, it was revealed, among other things, that the care staff risk suffering from ill health due to the workload.
The shortage of nurses is so high that it is even difficult to staff with “staffing nurses”. This means that regular staff are forced to cover and work overtime.
– It is generally a difficult personnel situation in the entire region and it is our most prioritized point in psychiatry right now, says Krister Berglund, head of the psychiatry division at Region Norrbotten.
Sometimes there is such a shortage of staff that the unit manager also works in the direct care work.
Risk of developing ill health
Gällivare hospital receives similar criticism when the Swedish Work Environment Authority assessed that staff risked developing ill health as a result of an excessive workload.
– We have worked with a work environment survey among employees where we have quite recently received a result. We must identify the measures together, which are about everything from how we add working time to the load, says Krister Berglund.
“See where we have the shortcomings”
At the psychiatry in Gällivare, there was also a lack of aids in the form of sliding sheets and sliding mats. About half of the ward’s patient beds are also old and heavy, which puts strain on the knees, shoulders and back.
The Swedish Work Environment Authority requires, among other things, that hospitals take measures to prevent ill health among staff by either adding resources so that they are adapted to the requirements and the amount of work, or reducing the requirements and the amount of work.
– The measures are not 100 percent identified, but we see where we have the shortcomings. There will be changes in the business, says Krister Berglund, head of the psychiatry division at the Norrbotten Region.
By 15 December, the Swedish Work Environment Authority wants an answer on how the requirements are to be met.