Concerns raised about care and monitoring in critical units
An intensive-care nurse at London Health Sciences Centre says staffing shortfalls are forcing nurses to provide care in ways that put the hospital’s sickest patients at risk. The nurse spoke to WE NEWS without being named, citing fear of workplace reprisals.
"Someone needs to say something," the nurse said. "The pace at which things have gotten worse is scary."
LHSC, which operates Victoria and University hospitals in London, has been assessing its staffing levels against other hospitals in the province for the past two years and concluded its hiring had been outpacing patient growth, hospital officials told media. The centre also says it is not conducting layoffs and that there is no official hiring freeze.
Changes to nursing complement detailed
As part of its restructuring, LHSC plans to reduce the number of full-time registered nurse (RN) positions through retirements or voluntary departures while increasing registered practical nurse (RPN) hires. The hospital has outlined the following changes:
- 212 full-time RN positions to be eliminated through retirements or voluntary departures
- 108 RPN positions to be hired
| Position | Change announced |
|---|---|
| Full-time RNs | 212 positions eliminated (through retirements/voluntary departures) |
| RPNs | 108 positions to be hired |
Front-line accounts: care squeezed in ICU
The anonymous ICU nurse described situations where nurses are stretched beyond typical assignment levels. "Over the past couple of months, we're having more and more patients who are not appropriately assigned," the nurse told WE NEWS. "We don't have enough staff. There's no time to care for the person."
ICU patients often require one-on-one care and continuous monitoring, the nurse added. Examples cited include patients on external life support, continuous dialysis and cardiac support pumps. Under normal staffing models, those patients receive close supervision; under current conditions, nurses can be assigned more than one such patient at a time.
What the hospital has said
LHSC officials have framed the staffing changes as a response to a multi-year review comparing the hospital’s staffing to provincial peers, saying hiring had previously outpaced patient growth. The hospital maintains it is not laying off nurses and that there is no formal hiring freeze.
The announced shift — reducing some RN full-time positions while adding RPN roles — reflects an administrative strategy to realign workforce composition, though critics and front-line staff warn such adjustments can leave critical care units vulnerable.
Local implications and the path ahead
For London residents, changes at LHSC carry immediate implications. The hospital system provides tertiary and critical care for a broad region; pressure on ICU staffing affects how quickly and intensively the sickest patients can be treated. Physicians, nurses and families rely on predictability in assignments for safety and outcomes.
Training and competency were also highlighted as crucial factors. ICU care typically requires specialized skills and orientation time; when experienced RNs depart or staffing models change, units must balance continuity of care with the realities of recruitment and retirements.
Hospital officials and health system leaders will face questions from the public and elected representatives about how patient safety will be maintained during the transition. For now, front-line staff continue to raise alarms.
"There's no time to care for the person," the ICU nurse said, summarizing front-line frustration with current conditions.
As this story develops, WE NEWS will continue to follow statements from LHSC, union and staff representatives, and any provincial responses that address how patient monitoring and critical care workloads will be maintained in London’s hospitals.
