NPNB Calls for Immediate Halt to Forced Redeployment of Nurse Practitioners from Primary Care to Emergency Department RN Positions
Jessica Selvaratnam
Nurse Practitioners of New Brunswick (NPNB) is calling for an immediate halt to the forced or involuntary redeployment of nurse practitioners from their primary care practices to fill registered nurse vacancies in emergency departments.
NPNB is deeply concerned by reports that nurse practitioners in the Restigouche area (Zone 5) are being required to leave their established primary care practices to work as registered nurses in the emergency department at Campbellton Regional Hospital. The New Brunswick Nurses’ Union raised similar concerns in its October 16 statement, including the potential risks to patients and the need for voluntary, collaborative approaches to redeployment.
“We cannot solve a staffing shortage in one part of our healthcare system by creating another shortage in primary care. This is not an acceptable or sustainable approach to workforce planning,” says Sharon Hamilton, President of Nurse Practitioners of New Brunswick.
NPNB recognizes the significant pressures facing emergency departments and the importance of maintaining safe services for patients. Nurse practitioners can contribute valuable expertise to emergency care when appropriately deployed within their competencies. However, requiring NPs to abandon their primary care practices to fill registered nurse vacancies raises serious concerns about patient safety, continuity of care, and the appropriate use of healthcare professionals.
Patients must not become the casualties of workforce planning
Nurse practitioners provide essential primary care services, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, chronic disease management, preventive care, and ongoing support for patients with complex health needs.
When an NP is removed from an established practice, patients may lose timely access to the provider who knows their medical history, manages their conditions, and coordinates their care. Abruptly disrupting these relationships without adequate planning for continuity of care could leave patients with few alternatives other than seeking care through already pressured emergency departments.
“Primary care is not an optional service that can be set aside whenever another area experiences a staffing crisis,” says Hamilton. “Patients depend on their nurse practitioners. Any decision that disrupts these relationships must consider the consequences for those patients and ensure that safe, appropriate alternative care is in place.”
Redeployment must be collaborative and voluntary
NPNB supports collaborative workforce solutions that enable healthcare professionals to contribute where they are most needed while protecting patient safety and continuity of care.
The concerns raised by NBNU regarding the voluntary nature of its redeployment initiative reinforce the importance of collaboration rather than last-minute decisions that place additional pressure on healthcare professionals and the patients they serve.
NPNB believes that sustainable solutions require meaningful engagement with nurse practitioners and their professional representatives, appropriate consideration of existing patient rosters, adequate notice, and a clear plan to maintain access to primary care.
The longstanding nature of staffing pressures must also be acknowledged. Where shortages are foreseeable, workforce planning should anticipate them rather than rely on measures that risk destabilizing other essential services.
NPNB calls for immediate action
NPNB is calling on Vitalité Health Network and the New Brunswick Department of Health to:
Immediately halt forced or involuntary redeployment of nurse practitioners from established primary care practices to fill RN vacancies in emergency departments.
Protect continuity of care for patients whose NPs may be affected, with appropriate arrangements for timely access to another qualified provider before any practice disruption occurs.
Engage directly with NPs and their professional representatives to develop collaborative, sustainable staffing solutions.
Provide transparency and accountability regarding the rationale for these decisions, the anticipated impact on primary care access, and the alternatives considered.
Develop long-term workforce plans that address emergency department staffing shortages without undermining primary care services.
“Nurse practitioners are an essential part of the solution to New Brunswick’s healthcare challenges, not a resource that can be moved without considering the consequences,” Hamilton says. “We urge Vitalité and government to work with the professionals delivering care, protect patients who depend on primary care, and find a solution that addresses staffing pressures without transferring the risk to another group of patients.”
NPNB is ready to work collaboratively with government, the Regional Health Authorities, NBNU, and other healthcare partners to develop solutions that support both emergency services and accessible, continuous primary care.
Patients should not lose access to their primary care provider because the healthcare system has failed to plan adequately for predictable staffing needs.
Contact:
Sharon Hamilton, President, Nurse Practitioners of NB. npnbexecutiveoffice@gmail.com
About Nurse Practitioners of New Brunswick
Nurse Practitioners of New Brunswick is dedicated to advancing the role of nurse practitioners in the healthcare system, ensuring that all residents have access to high-quality, comprehensive primary care.