BILL NO. 69

(as introduced)

2nd Session, 58th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
50 Elizabeth II, 2001

Private Member's Bill

Nursing Staff Retention (2001) Act

James A. Smith, M.D.
Dartmouth East

First Reading: June 25, 2001

Second Reading:

Third Reading:

Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:

1 This Act may be cited as the Nursing Staff Retention (2001) Act.

2 In this Act,

(a) "nursing staff" means registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants and all other personnel whose primary role is to assist nurses or deliver nursing services;

(b) "nursing-staff plan" means a plan developed pursuant to Section 3.

3 (1) The chief nursing executive at each district health authority shall develop a written nursing-staff plan for the relevant health district.

(2) A district health authority shall ensure nursing staff are employed in sufficient numbers for the proper implementation of the nursing-staff plan developed for that authority.

(3) The chief nursing executive shall consult with nursing staff of the health district in the development of the nursing-staff plan and in the ongoing evaluation of the nursing-staff plan and any patient classification system.

(4) The nursing-staff plan for each district health authority shall set out patient care requirements for the health district and shall contain a determination of sufficient nursing staff to satisfy those requirements.

(5) A nursing-staff plan shall take into account seasonal and expected variances in nursing staff needs including, but not limited to, vacations, meal and break periods and time for education and conferences.

4 Each district health authority shall establish and maintain a formal internal review process that

(a) ensures compliance with the nursing-staff plan for that authority;

(b) provides for review of incidents relating to the nursing-staff plan and concerns of nursing staff;

(c) tracks and analyzes patterns of nursing-staff requirements in relation to individual and aggregate patient needs; and

(d) provides for evaluation of the correlation between nursing staff and patient outcomes for each acute inpatient care facility.

5 (1) No district health authority may require nursing staff to work in excess of pre-scheduled and agreed-upon shifts to maintain compliance with the requirements of the nursing-staff plan.

(2) An individual who is a nursing-staff member shall determine that individual's own fitness and capability to work in excess of pre-scheduled and agreed-upon shifts.

(3) This Section does not apply to nursing-staff needs in the event of a national or Provincial emergency.