More operations were postponed at Mater Dei Hospital on Monday when two theatres remained closed as a result of directives called by the nurses’ union over nurse shortages, this newspaper has learnt.

Nurses at Mater Dei’s main operating theatre have been instructed by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) not to participate in medical interventions in cases of staff shortages.

The directives apply to some 190 scrub and anaesthetic nurses, deputy charge, charge and practice nurses.

A list of 10 directives was circulated among nurses following a meeting on burnout and safe practices with the director of nursing services and nursing managers.

MUMN is insisting that the list of operations should depend on the number of available nurses and not the other way round, and that the directives were aimed at increasing the patients’ and nurses’ safety.

Directives aim to increase the patients’ and nurses’ safety

Since the directives were called, hospital management has met staff members on the issue, and there was also an exchange of correspondence with the union to seek a compromise. However, the directives are still in place.

On Monday, sources told Times of Malta that as a consequence of MUMN directives at least two operating theatres were closed and several operations postponed.

When contacted, Mater Dei CEO Ivan Falzon said efforts to settle this dispute were ongoing.

Last week he told the Times of Malta that the MUMN directives were operationally impacting the theatres, with an average of eight interventions per day being postponed.

While human resources pressures were “very real”, including in nursing, the hospital’s priority was to ensure patient and staff safety all the time, Mr Falzon said.

“The deployment of nursing resources within the operating theatre happens in line with industry standards. When this is not possible, interventions simply do not happen.”

Among other tasks, nurses have been ordered not to participate in any operation or similar intervention unless the nurses present in the theatre conform to officially stipulated numbers.

Also, if there are not at least six main operating theatre anaesthetic nurses in the main recovery area and at least another four in the day recovery area, anaesthetic nurses will keep patients in the theatre until there is the correct number.

The same will happen in the case of paediatric operations, where the patient-to-nurse ratio should be 1:1 in recovery areas.