Every month 300 nurses throw in the charm – professional association calls for measures

The problem has been known for a long time. Even before the pandemic, the lack of staff in the nursing profession was pointed out. And that this is getting worse every year due to demographic developments. Covid-19 brought the topic to the fore. Exhausted caregivers talked about the pressure, the mental and physical strain, the low wages. As a result, the Swiss population clearly approved the healthcare initiative on November 28 last year.

Measures that have been needed for a long time must now be started. The Confederation and the cantons must ensure that a sufficient number of qualified nurses are available. Working conditions, wages and professional development need to be better regulated. The money is used to support education and training. How exactly, however, is still unclear. Parliament is currently sitting on the implementation of the initiative.

So the mills of politics are grinding – steadily, but slowly as usual. Meanwhile, the situation for the nursing staff continues to deteriorate. In recent weeks, several hospitals, including university clinics, have reported reaching capacity limits. According to the “Aargauer Zeitung”, the cantonal hospital in Aarau had to refer patients to other hospitals. There is a lack of staff everywhere.

The Swiss Hospital Association H+ confirmed to the “Tages-Anzeiger” that the situation was tense practically throughout Switzerland. A number of hospitals and clinics are said to have difficulty finding health workers. And only with enough staff could enough beds be served. Christina Schumacher, deputy director of the Professional Association of Nurses (SBK), says he is currently hearing from hospitals that are unable to use up to 20 percent of beds due to a lack of suitable staff.

The shortage of nursing staff cannot be precisely quantified. The Swiss health observatory (Obsan) analyzes the situation only every five years. The latest report dates from 2021. It was forecast that Swiss healthcare institutions would be short of some 20,000 trained nurses by 2030.

The current Jobradar, which surveys advertised vacancies every quarter, gives a more accurate picture of the current bottleneck in hospitals. At the end of the third quarter, 7,317 qualified nursing staff were unfilled. There were 14,828 job openings advertised for all nursing professions, including those without qualifications. That was more than ever. No industry is missing more staff. According to the job radar, the nurse practitioner ranks first in the top 25 most advertised occupations in Switzerland.

“This is a stage that we would not want to have,” said Schumacher of the SBK professional association. She acknowledges Parliament’s efforts to make progress with the care initiative. “But 300 people continue to drop out from the nursing profession every month. People who are urgently needed now, with the approaching flu epidemic and the renewed increase in the number of corona.”

The staff in the children’s hospitals is also under great pressure. Last week, the specialized organization of the Swiss children’s hospitals warned of a lack of care in view of the winter. Due to the increasing staff shortage and the increasing number of emergency consultations, the children’s centers are increasingly reaching their limits.

Schumacher’s forecast for the cold season is also bleak. “I’m afraid it will be very, very difficult.” Already now planned interventions should be postponed again. However, it is incorrect to speak of an impending collapse. The staff shortage is rather an erosion that started years ago and is continuing at a steady and accelerating pace. “As a result, healthcare in Switzerland is getting worse. This process started a long time ago.”

That is why immediate measures are needed now. To this end, the SBK has worked out a five-point plan together with the trade unions and submitted it to politicians. The aim is to prevent people with better working conditions from leaving the profession. More free time, more childcare, more wages, in short: more money. Schumacher says: “The decisive question is how much the Swiss health care system is worth to politicians.”