Nurses' union calls for accountability, investigation after shocking AG report

Abby Cole · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 27, 2025 12:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 27

The Registered Nurses' Union of Newfoundland and Labrador is calling for accountability and further investigation, aft a shocking auditor general's study recovered the province's wellness authority overspent millions connected backstage bureau nurses and instances of possible fraud. 

"We would similar to spot the Office of Procurement analyse what could beryllium fraudulent activity," union president Yvette Coffey said. 

"This is the radical of Newfoundland and Labrador's money. This is payer money."

Coffey said she wasn't precisely amazed by what was recovered successful the audit, but was shocked to larn astir the deficiency of oversight and mismanagement of finances.

She said the magnitude of wealth spent is "mind blowing."

According to the report, NLHS spent $241 cardinal connected bureau nurses since 2022, which equals roughly $400,000 for each idiosyncratic bureau nurse. 

That magnitude of wealth per bureau caregiver could person equaled 4 full-time nurses, Coffey said, adding that determination are inactive astir 400 registered caregiver and caregiver practitioner vacancies.

"Our members are being nickel and dimed connected the crushed each time astir overtime, premiums [and] astir clip off," she said. 

Nurses needed

Meanwhile, Coffey said, there is simply a increasing request for nurses crossed the province, particularly owed to the aging population.

She said galore radical don't person entree to superior wellness care, and that agrarian areas successful peculiar are strapped for health-care services. 

WATCH | Nurses' national president says members are aggravated astir AG study findings: 

Coffey said the state could have used the wealth to connection incentives to nurses to enactment successful agrarian areas oregon to enactment successful much superior health-care roles. 

"That would beryllium a heck of a batch cheaper than paying $400,000 a twelvemonth to a backstage bureau nurse," she said.

Additionally, she said the wellness authorization is inactive opening beds without posting positions, which is simply a information contented for unit and patients.

Questionable numbers

In February, NLHS CEO Pat Parfrey said the usage of bureau nurses is down 42 per cent, but Coffey said she isn't believing it. 

"Every time I'm proceeding astir much backstage bureau nurses," said Coffey. "We person a Gander Hospital with astir 30 backstage bureau nurses."

She besides said that nurses are being turned distant from jobs successful the province, who past aboriginal go bureau nurses and extremity up moving successful the units they primitively applied for. 

In the meantime, Coffey said there are inactive much contracts for the auditor wide to look into.

"The full strategy needs to beryllium investigated. Procurement needs to analyse to spot if determination was fraudulent enactment and radical bash request to beryllium held to account."

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