The Registered Nurses Union has fired a letter off to the provincial Auditor General calling for an investigation into the use of agency nurses in the delivery of health care in this province.

A recent Globe and Mail article outlines the millions of dollars spent on agency nurses who travel to the province to fill gaps in health care while working alongside public sector nurses who are being paid much lower rates.

RNU President Yvette Coffey says nurses feel disrespected, demoralized and disregarded by the provincial government’s approach and she says the continued reliance on agency nurses will affect future retention.

She says there are a lot of very angry and demoralized nurses in the province today knowing that government is willing to pay so much for work they’re doing while being mandated to work extended hours.

She says nurses unions across the country have written AGs in their respective provinces to ensure that the reliance on agency nurses is addressed. In the meantime, she’s willing to sit down with the minister and premier at any time.

“My door is always open” says Coffey, “this is all of our taxpayers’ money that has been spent on these private companies.”

Earle Expects More Revelations to Come

NAPE President Jerry Earle says this weekend’s Globe and Mail article doesn’t tell the full story and he expects more revelations to be uncovered.

Earle says NAPE has long warned government about relying on the private sector for the delivery of public services.

In follow-up interviews with the paper, Earle says he’s been directed to seek out the Access to Information documents collected to get the full picture of what’s been spent, and on what.

“They’re saying everything is not even captured in this story,” says Earle. “They say we should go and have a look…because it’s even more jaw-dropping.”