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The birthing room at Einsiedeln Hospital is abandoned. No babies have been born here since mid-October. The hospital closed the maternity ward until the end of the year. The reason: shortage of skilled workers. Blick’s research now shows that the problem is much more than a lack of staff in the healthcare system.
Employees are running away from Einsiedeln Hospital, which has 84 beds and 360 employees. The hospital made headlines in Switzerland last year when all of its interns resigned. Meanwhile, the problem has gotten bigger: About a dozen management employees will leave the hospital by the end of the year. The hospital is losing people in some of its most important positions, including nursing, emergency and quality management.
“There is a lot of staff turnover and the situation is getting worse,” says an inside source. Blick conducted extensive interviews with a variety of former and current employees of the Einsiedeln Hospital, many of whom worked or were working in central positions at the hospital. They paint a frightening picture of the provincial hospital in the monastery village in central Switzerland. To protect whistleblowers, Blick does not disclose their names or locations.
Some say employees work 48-hour shifts without breaks. Or when calling 24 hours a day, longer than the legally allowed 12 days. “We are tired,” said one of the participants. “You are expected to be ready to step in at all times.” Many sources independently doubt whether patient safety can still be guaranteed under these conditions.
Recruitment drive in Germany
You may also hear about bullying. From people who, after working in a hospital for years, were fired by letter and without a personal conversation because they dared to question internal processes. Hospital operator Ameos has launched a hiring drive to avoid major volatility.
We are looking for not only nurses and doctors, but also, after bloodshed in the team, especially managers: for example, a manager for emergencies and endoscopy. It is clear that Ameos wanted to encourage medical staff in Germany to move to Einsiedeln Hospital. «Do you want to work in Switzerland? Our workspaces will fascinate you! All job postings of the Einsiedeln Hospital read “Welcome Bienvenue, Welcome!” It is said.
Ameos offers a wage of 150 francs per hour in its midwife job posting. This is three times the normal midwife salary. Temporary staff in Einsiedeln benefit even more from this: insiders say that qualified nurses should receive a monthly salary of up to 25,000 francs as temporary workers.
The increasing reliance on temporary workers to keep the hospital running leads to further problems. “Temporary workers don’t know the procedures, which leads to dangerous situations,” says an insider at the hospital. Once again, patient safety is at stake.
While some earn very high salaries, savings are being made elsewhere: a large number of nurses and kitchen assistants have been laid off since Ameos entered Einsiedeln in 2020. The hospital restaurant was converted into self-service. In addition, automatic eating machines were installed, which, according to patients, often failed. “The economy is being built in all the wrong corners,” one source said.
Trouble visiting doctors
Specialist doctors are among the highest earners. They do not work at Einsiedeln Hospital, but they perform outpatient procedures there and are an important source of income for the hospital. “Doctors act like kings,” one can hear staff saying in many places. They are said to have abused nursing care as secretaries. Some informants also unanimously reported that doctors at Einsiedeln Hospital (both working and treating doctors) did not fulfill their documentation and prescription obligations.
Only doctors have the authority to prescribe medication. “But they refuse to work digitally,” someone says. Elsewhere we hear about how doctors prescribe based on nutritional charts. According to sources, the main regulation carries out the maintenance in the hospital information system (WMS). Problem: If a nurse prescribes medication in the system instead of a doctor, this can be proven using abbreviations and in the worst case scenario, if someone dies due to a medication error, the nurse is responsible.
Canton takes a closer look at the hospital
What happened at Einsiedeln Hospital did not go unnoticed by the canton. He had turned the hospital upside down for a few days a year ago. The cantonal control inside the hospital is called “raid”. Six months later, the result is on the table: a 130-page report with recommendations for the hospital. Blick requested access to the report on a publicity basis. The request was rejected by the responsible Schwyz Health Office. Legal enforcement of the claim will take months.
On November 7 of this year, the canton visited the hospital again. This is indicated by an internal letter that Blick can use. It is addressed to the hospital director and signed by responsible Schwyz government councilor Damian Meier (49). Is there any discussion about revoking the hospital’s permission to serve after the new audit? The canton remains tight-lipped on the matter upon request. You can use requirements and conditions to ensure that a hospital actually meets its service obligations. However, the canton did not clarify whether such requirements were imposed on Einsiedeln Hospital.
“The situation surrounding the maternity ward at Einsiedeln Hospital concerns us,” medical director Meier said recently in an interview with “Bote der Urschweiz”. And also: “Despite the shortage of skilled workers, it should be possible to continue providing this important service.” The canton was informed about the closure decisions in a short time.
In both cases, it was clear to the informants Blick spoke to: “The hospital must be closed.” And sooner or later. “It’s five to twelve.” Ameos, on the other hand, categorically denies all the allegations in his interview with Blick.
Patients should stay away
Rumors that there is a problem at Einsiedeln Hospital have been circulating in the area for a long time. “In September, only 16 of more than 80 beds were occupied,” says one source. The maternity ward was closed not only due to lack of staff, but also because mothers preferred to give birth to their babies in Lachen or Schwyz. Ameos doesn’t release any numbers on usage, but only says it’s “within the normal range” when asked by Blick.
Will the birthing room really reopen in January as Ameos announced? Insiders have doubts about this. “They will never be able to hire and train enough staff by then,” one of the sources said. Even so, it is not yet known whether the expectant mothers will return to Einsiedeln to give birth.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
