Merger

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I currently work on a 9-bedded neurology ward. We usually operate on 1 qualified plus 1 auxillary (though sometimes it's 2 qualified). I really like where I work, we are a lovely little ward. Because we only have 9 beds, I know all my patients and their relatives well and know everything about them. I am my "own boss" as I am usually in-charge. All the staff on here get-on very well and we are all friends, there is no "clique". We work as a unit very well.

Next door is neurosurgery, which is a 20 bedded unit, we are seperated by a set of doors. I have worked there and don't like it. Although neurosurgery is interesting, IMO the ward is like a production line. A lot of the staff are very "cliquey" and gossip-mongerers.

Guess what? We are merging! We have had NO say in this, NO-ONE has asked our opinion on whether WE want it, or whether WE think it will work. It has just been landed on us. It's about MONEY. It's a cost-cutting exercise. Basically, there are 48 neurosurgery beds (on 2 different wards) and 8 neuro high dependency beds with 19 vacancies over those 48 beds! We have NO vacancies, but because of the rest of neurosciences being short and because we are over budget and wanting to save money, we are having to prop them up.

NOBODY wants this. We are medicine, they are surgery, it's the same but different. It's going to be one off-duty, we will work as one ward.

We have a staff meeting "at some point" about this. But no-one wants this merger.

I currently love where I am, and I know no-one in neurology wants this. We work so well together as a little unit, I'm never really stressed and we get so much positive feed-back from patients and relatives as we can usually spend valuable time with the patients. After qualifying, I spent 2 years trying to settle somewhere, I found here and have been here for about 15 months and finally found somewhere I actually love. Love my colleagues, patients and the way things work. They are ripping that away from us. It will never be the same again.

I am going to contact my union, but other than that, what can I do? Sorry about the long post, but I have only just really found out and wanted to rant as I am upset and am in the middle of a night shift. :o :stone :sniff:

Do the nurses on the neurosurgery ward want to merge? If not, maybe you can all get together and protest. See where that leads. From what I gather, nurses are in short supply in the UK as they are in the US, although I don't know if management listens any better. But I think all of you need to get together and make a formal protest now, along with contacting your union as soon as possible.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Specializes in Corrections, Psych, Med-Surg.

"We have had NO say in this, NO-ONE has asked our opinion on whether WE want it, or whether WE think it will work. "

An old story. Remember:

As I said, there is a meeting at some point. Thurs pm maybe (but that's not official). I am going to say exactly how I feel, though I do feel it will fall on deaf ears. I'm going to look for another job. They can add my vacancy to the 19 others. I don't come to work to get shit on by management who have forgotten what it's like to work "on the floor".

Specializes in MS Home Health.

I feel for you. When I worked at the hospital they were going to close our unit. They held meetings and many nurses did not want to care for cancer patients. Huge stink. They ended up downsizing the unit and moving it to a smaller floor. I am sorry you may be losing the place you liked so much.

Hugs,

renerian

Well, we had our meeting on Thursday. There was the "boss" violent-smiley-078.gif there, as well as the RCN rep (union rep) and the personnel manager and some of my colleagues and moi.

Boss told us what was going to happen to us. They are taking down the doors between the 2 wards (I pointed out they were infact firedoors). Our ward is going to become part of the ward next door, but as an extra team ("green" team - quite fitting really). It is all going to be managed one G-grade (senior sister) and 2 F-grades (sisters). One off-duty, but Senior Sis is going to try and work it that we still get to work on neurology (green team).

However, I can guarantee that if 2 RN's from green team are scheduled together, I will get moved to neurosurgery as I have experience there and am considered as junior staff. The ward is going to be too big and I'll be running like a blue-orificed fly trying to get some help as I know my assistant will be continually taken. Esp on nights.

The union rep was USELESS. Many of us commented afterwards that she didn't seem to represent us. She was just there for the boss and as soon as anyone said anything she didn't like, she just jumped down our throats, saying "you're all very lucky getting this!" BS! violent-smiley-031.gif violent-smiley-010.gif

I haven't gone into too much detail as I would be waffling on forever, but no-one is happy. It is not as bad as I originally thought it would be, so I am going to see how it goes. If I don't like it, I am leaving.

Specializes in midwifery, ophthalmics, general practice.

as always, managment make a pigs ear of managing us, so vote with your feet!!! you have valuable skills and will find a home somewhere else!!

good luck

Karen

Specializes in Critical Care.

The only thing constant in nursing and many other areas is change, most don't like change, most change is not for the better of anyone other than stock holders and CEO's. Does this make it right, of course not, as usual no one cares what the nurses think, after all we just care for the patients. Same old same old no matter where you go.

The most annoying thing we have found is that, we know that this was all planned and decided months ago, without our opinion even asked.

I knew I wasn't going to stay there forever, but this has been the catalyst for me to start thinking about working elsewhere.

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

Amen to what BadBird said! :nurse:

Nurses have lost their voice in healthcare within the hospital system, and as long as nurses fear "losing face" when things happen they don't like and won't speak up about, our voices will continue to NOT be heard.

Do we or don't we have it in us to fight back? If we do, what's the holdup? If we don't, no one else will fight for nurses rights.

Sooooooo...sounds like we often place ourselves in a "Catch-22" position, eh? :eek:

Specializes in MS Home Health.

No one like changes most of the time. I am sorry your unit is changing.

renerian

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