Debate, Drammen hospital | Dear hospital director

Debate post This is a debate entry, written by an external contributor. The post expresses the writer’s views.

For the nurses at floor, the road to management and hospital administration can be long. After years of increasingly tight finances and changes, there are many nurses who resign and think that “those at the top can get on with their business”.

The last couple In the past few weeks, the superiors at the Children and Adolescents’ Department (BUA) at Drammen Hospital have expressed strong concern regarding a proposal to reorganize the management at the hospital. On Tuesday, the director had to answer in DT (see box below) what the benefit of the amendment will be. Unfortunately, the director did not give a convincing answer.

Questions for the clinic director

The senior doctors in gynecology react to the planned reorganisation.

They say that there are no synergies between the children’s department and gynecology. And that the employees are to a small extent able to carry out tasks in the department they are now being merged with. Apart from midwives attending to women in the neonatal intensive care unit, there are “no areas where we overlap”.

Do you have a comment on that?

Does the clinic director think that there are synergy effects between the two departments, if so which ones?

The employees say that the merger proposal is “disrespectful”, that anchoring among the employees is “completely absent”, do you have a comment on that?

The reorganization is described as “employee-hostile” and “a rushed process”. Do you have a comment on that?

Has it gone too fast here?

What do you think about the fact that two fields are now shouting warnings about the planned reorganisation?

The senior doctors in gynecology say that they see no benefit from the merger, and that the management has not been able to show any benefit. Do you have a comment on that?

Can you point to concrete gains that will be achieved by merging the two departments?

The senior doctors point out that amalgamation of the children’s department and gynecology has been tried in several clinics – also in Drammen – and it has ended in dissolution in the past. How is it different now?

We work as nurses at BUA and we are very concerned about how a management without a professional foundation in paediatrics will work to ensure quality in nursing and care. Our everyday life consists of handling advanced medical technical equipment, making clinical observations of the child, implementing palliative measures, supporting medical treatment and at the same time providing care for the whole family. This requires advanced expertise and clinical skills.

We therefore have nurses with a doctorate, master’s degree, special education and many experienced nurses and child care workers in direct patient-oriented work at BUA. This is not a given. Retaining a high level of competence means that you facilitate professional development and growth.

also read

When you are in danger of losing something, you see more clearly how important it is

To create strong professional environments require management who know what quality at the bedside means and who are able to prioritize professional development and research at the same time as efficient operations. To achieve this, one must have detailed knowledge. Own the subject – and know the people.

Department of Children and Youth is the only department at Drammen Hospital that has a manager with a nursing background. She has a major in nursing science and further education in management in addition to extensive experience as a manager at various levels. Interdisciplinary management is important in our department, but also very likely around the director’s table.

also read

Women in labor and sick children are pitted against each other when the hospital reorganises

We fear the consequences of the fact that the specific knowledge about the child patient disappears from the top management layer. When, in the future, BUA is no longer represented by a clear manager with a professional background from a large and complex field of enormous development, we are afraid that the financial priorities will not go in favor of the sick child and the family. BUA in Drammen has undergone major changes in the last 10-15 years and has been given increasingly more and more complicated tasks internally in Health-Sør Øst.

The strong professional the management has fought many battles for the best possible services for the child patient, and for those of us who work at BUA to have a good everyday life with the opportunity to offer professional up-to-date treatment and nursing care.

also read

Postponing the move to the new hospital once again

It is difficult for us as nurses to see the benefit of a new and more strategic management group which brings together women/children. In our opinion, the gain from retaining management with specialist knowledge should be included in that account. More than ever, we need to retain our experienced management so that we can continue to develop and deliver future healthcare services in Nye Drammen Hospital.

News from Drammens Tidende