Hospitals hired temporary staff for NOK 1 billion in 2018
Norwegian hospitals hired temporary employees for about NOK 1 billion last year. The union representatives want an increase in permanent staff.
The chief union representative of the nurses at OUS, Svein Erik Urstrømmen, tells the newspaper Klassekampen that it is favourable for the hospitals to have access to health personnel with extraordinary expertise, but that is even more favourable with permanent employees.
“More permanent employees provide a stable academic environment with the opportunity for professional development. It is good for the environment and provides better security for the patients,” Urstrømmen opinionates.
7% increase in temporary staff
Use of temporary staff increased by 7 per cent from 2017 to 2018, according to preliminary figures from Health Southeast. The increase has been strongest in Health North. From 2012 to 2017, use of temps has increased by 86 per cent measured in NOK. Health West is the only region with a decline in usage during the same period.
«The country’s most specialised hospital, Oslo University Hospital (OUS), is a contributing factor to the use of temporary staff in the health region,» Health Southeast replies in an email to the newspaper.
«Patients who are sent there from other regions in Norway often cannot get treatment elsewhere. If a surgical nurse is lacking to carry out surgery, this person must necessarily be hired in for the occasion, Health Southeast clarifies.»
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
