The Mataró Hospital categorically denies that the number of surgical operations has been reduced due to lack of personnel. Precisely, specialized nurses have reached an agreement whereby, in the absence of more human resources, they perform more paid hours and thus avoid restricting interventions.
The problem of lack of nurses is common to all hospitals in Catalonia. So that this deficit does not have a direct impact on the surgical service, the nurses at the Mataró Hospital have agreed to modify their working hours, regulated by an agreement with the medical coordination.
This pact, which began to be negotiated two years ago, has allowed the review of the processes in the surgical unit, which has gained in efficiency, for example by reducing the waiting time between operations or more carefully controlling cancellations.
The new organizational system, in whose decisions the group of nurses participates directly, has prevented the deprogramming of surgical operations and being able to maintain the service five days a week, not counting weekend emergencies.
What’s more, during the first four months of the current year, 6% more major surgery operations and 12% more minor operations have been carried out, so that, if this rate continues, the imposed ratio will be met by the Department of Health.
