Deborah Holder (left), Public Relations Officer for the Nurses Committee at the QEH, shares a treat with Karen Green of the Food and Nutrition Department, during the Nurses Week Cake Sale and Showcase held at the hospital.
BENEFITS FOR NURSES
The Nurses Committee of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital wants to see a daycare established for the children of nurses who often work long hours at the hospital. The Committee is also making a call for nurses to receive better pay.
Deborah Holder, Public Relations Officer for the Nurses Committee, noted the above as she spoke to The Barbados Advocate this week about the work of the Committee, during Nurses Week. The Week was celebrated with a number of activities at the QEH.
Acknowledging that the Committee has been trying to have a number of challenges addressed on the part of nurses, Holder however lamented the fact that a number of key goals have not yet been met.
“So far, we have not been able to accomplish what we have set out and a few of us are moving out of the Nurses Committee, because we have been promoted to nursing officers, at least three of us,” she told this newspaper.
“[Therefore] we have to form a new committee and we are hoping that they will take up the mantle and try to do something for the nurses, because our aim was to actually try and fix at least some of the problems, before we move on from the committee. But now we have to pass it on and mentor the (new executive members) and hopefully, something will be done,” Holder revealed.
The PRO however, sought to give a synopsis of the main challenges facing nurses at the QEH.
“One of the major issues that we are having, is a shortage of staff. Also, the nurses really would like a daycare for their kids, especially during the summer time when they are working and the kids are out of school. A day care, that is something that we feverishly wanted to work on,” Holder pointed out.
“Our uniform issue is being dealt with currently, so that is off the list. Other than that, the nurses are generally demotivated. Basically, you are working hard, going beyond the call of duty as a nurse and we are not being remunerated as we should,” Holder indicated.
“Some people do not (view) nurses as they do other professionals, (for example) lawyers, but we do get degrees. We do not get paid for specialties in relation to our degrees, but we continue to study, so we should be (paid better) for it and that is really our issue,” Holder maintained. (RSM)