Municipal union welcomes initiative on nursing home staffing

The FOA has welcomed the setting up of a commission to examine home care provision. The union argues strongly that the quality and dignity of care need to be at the centre of the commission’s considerations. Above all FOA will be urging the commission to take full account of the contribution of thousands of health and social care professionals to the quality of home care and shift the focus away from the obsession with cutting costs that has been the primary approach of many municipalities in recent years.

A survey of staffing levels in nursing homes has revealed a wide variation in standards across Denmark. Commenting on the survey, public services union FOA says that it raises serious questions about both the quality of care and the pressure on workers, particularly those on the night shift, who in some areas may have responsibility for three times as many residents as their colleagues in other regions. The variation from best to worst is 12 residents per employee to 30 residents per employee. The union hopes that the comprehensive survey will help put pressure on municipalities to improve

The ver.di services union has welcomed the passage of the Hospital Care Relief Act, which establishes a nationwide requirement on staffing levels covering nurses in hospitals. The union is delighted that its long campaign has finally paid off and measures will be taken to tackle excessive workloads in the health sector. The basis for the legislation is a staffing assessment (PPR 2.0) that was developed by ver.di, the German Hospital Association and the German Nursing Council. Ver.di is also pleased about its successful advocacy for the development of needs-based personnel specifications for