"There will be nursing layoffs, cuts to clinical programs and an impact on patient care, even though today's funding announcement will allay some of the pressures for hospitals trying to meet the Health Ministry directives to balance their books," said Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN, President of the 50,000-member Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA).

"We've already heard of layoffs in psychiatry, intensive care, obstetrics, medicine, cardiology and respirology, to name a few areas, in hospitals across Ontario. The majority of layoffs are in patient care areas, with some reductions in beds and front-line nursing jobs. There has to be a significant impact when you're cutting back on the hours of nursing care we can provide. Nurses will have to work even harder to provide the same level of care to patients."

Despite promises to create 8,000 full-time nursing jobs, Health Minister George Smitherman acknowledged that 757 nurses will lose their jobs in the 2004-2005 fiscal year.

"Ontario nurses are 'restructuring pros' who have been dealing with changes to the health care system on an almost continual basis. You can't cut the heart out of health care by laying off nurses," said Haslam-Stroud. Source.