overtime blocked serious staff shortages in various health facilities

Following the recent provisions that block over 180 hours of overtimeas also provided for by contractual legislation, the Vials Salerno expresses great concern for the serious staff shortages in the various units of the Salerno Local Health Authority and in the district services, Mental Health, Penitentiary Institutions, and Hospices. This situation is creating significant organizational and management difficulties, putting the continuity of services and the safety of workers and patients at risk.

«It is inevitable to think that the application of law 190, in terms of personnel needs, and the recent hirings have really covered all the staffing levels. We are faced with an unrealistic optimization of the use of personnel – he declares Carlo Lopopolo, general secretary of Fials Salerno – The health management of the Salerno ASL has shown serious shortcomings in managing this crisis, leaving the department coordinators without support and concrete solutions. The situation is further aggravated by the upcoming summer period, during which many operators will go on holiday, bringing the system to collapse due to lack of staff”.

Lopopolo emphasizes that staff shortages pose an imminent threat to the quality and safety of the care offered. «We have seen a passive acceptance of the situation on the part of some directors, who have decided to merge the departments, while others leave their department managers to manage in conditions of total abandonment. This disorder cannot continue. It is clear that the current management strategy is unsustainable and requires immediate action.”

According to Lopopolo, the solution necessarily involves hiring new staff. «We can no longer postpone the immediate hiring of new staff, using existing rankings and through notices of expression of interest for temporary recruitment and intra- and extra-regional mobility. It is imperative to immediately introduce new workforce to ensure the continuity of essential services and prevent further disruptions. We asked for an urgent discussion table with the Strategic Direction – continues Lopopolo – to discuss employment factors and the ongoing reduction in healthcare provision. It is essential to avoid the suppression or downsizing of activities, to safeguard the protection and safety of both workers and users. The Management must assume its responsibilities and adopt effective and immediate measures.”

Lopopolo concludes with an appeal to the health management of the Salerno ASL: «The time for half measures is over. Healthcare workers cannot continue to operate in these conditions of permanent emergency. Fials Salerno is ready to collaborate to find solutions, but a concrete and timely commitment is needed from the healthcare management. We cannot allow this crisis to turn into a health catastrophe for our community.

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