MEMO: Coverage When Working Short
Menno Place makes every effort to staff a full roster of care staff every shift.
At times, there may be a shortage of workers due to unexpected illness, last minute call ins or an injury. To ensure the safety of the residents and staff who are working, the following practice is followed:
- Depending on the number of vacant beds, generally no unit should be more than one HCA short on a day or evening shift.
- All absent night shift care staff shifts are to be replaced.
The floor nurse is responsible to ensure that no staff member leaves their work area until a full roster of incoming staff is present.
Every effort is made to cover short shifts with casual staff, part-time staff or with overtime. In the event this is not possible, care staff from the previous shift are required to stay to cover a vacant shift.
If no employee volunteers to stay in place the floor nurse has the responsibility to cover the shortage with the least senior employee on the unit. We understand that this can cause difficulty to an individual but resident care and staff safety are our priority.
Karen L. Biggs, CEO,
Menno Place
