– If you have your period, you bleed through your clothes and everything else, says Ida Karin Rosset. – And I’m not the only one. There are many others. Some would call it unworthy. The Ullevål midwife calls it everyday life. – When it’s hectic enough, you don’t have time to take a lunch break or go to the toilet. If the chance presents itself, just run. Too few employees Rosset is a shop steward for the Norwegian Nurses’ Association (NSF) and works at the maternity/gynecology reception at Ullevål Hospital in Oslo. When news visits, only one bed is filled. But a lot can happen here in a short time. – In the morning it can be completely calm. Then an hour goes by, and then five people arrive at the same time in five minutes, says Ida Karin. Reception is the last stop before the delivery room. But they also accept pregnant women sent in a hurry from the emergency room or in an ambulance. – It is an emergency department that should really be open around the clock. It isn’t. Due to a shortage of midwives, the reception has been closed at night on weekends since mid-November. In summer it was closed every night. The reception room has four beds. – It is not unusual for there to be four of them here. And two midwives, hopefully, not just one. But occasionally we are, says Ida Karin Rosset. They also have several examination rooms. Photo: Jenny Dahl Bakken / news Replaced with nurses Oslo University Hospital (Ous) has lost almost 50 midwife-years of work since 2017. The hospital recognizes that this can lead to unfortunate outcomes in the maternity ward. – High work pressure can also sometimes mean that we cannot maintain the standards we want everywhere, says assistant head of department Hanne Knutsen. Several have to work overtime to fill the shift schedule. And some midwife positions have been replaced by nurses. Notifications about staffing In recent years, there have been several notifications. More about the summer staffing last year. During Christmas, the midwife announced that at weekends there are only two of them to look after 18 sick pregnant women – such as those pregnant with bleeding or pre-eclampsia. In the past year, the state administrator has had at least 14 supervisory cases concerning the maternity ward at OUS. Some of them are still ongoing. The law has not been broken in any of the cases that have been closed. – This is no longer exclusive to the summer. It’s all year round, says NSF’s chief shop steward Anne Helle at the women’s clinic. She claims it is now so critical that employees are not allowed to take maternity leave. But faced with the question “does your child actually have breast milk?” – It’s horrible, she says. Rakk did not clean the room Karianne Ellinger-Kaya is among those who have given notice. – It was something I felt I had to do, both as a midwife and a shop steward, she says. She works at one of the maternity wards at Ullevål. Below you can see an extract from her message of concern: – That weekend – it was at night – there was such a large intrusion that it was only necessary to get the ladies out, wash the bed and bring in new ones. And that… doesn’t feel good, says Karianne. In an email, Ous responds as follows to the claims that the midwives do not have time to go to the bathroom, eat or change clothes when they bleed: – Without wishing to comment directly on the individual cases that are highlighted, we recognize that unfortunate and regrettable situations occurs in stressful situations. We take that very seriously. The hospital says they aim to do something about it. – And we see that our efforts must be broader than just organizational measures, and that we must work towards both short-term and long-term solutions. Long waiting time Few employees also mean that women have to wait a long time. Some too long, according to Ida Karin Rosset. With few employees, it takes longer to check everyone who enters. Perhaps there is something urgent that needs to be prioritized first. Or there are simply no beds available to give birth in. – We have patients with us who have to wander around for several hours. Because they are in labour, but not quite so that they need the delivery room first. When the ABC unit closes in March, there will be even fewer maternity wards. Three wheelchairs in the hallway at the obstetrics/gynecology reception remind us that many of the patients here need close follow-up and help. Photo: Jenny Dahl Bakken / news More to do, less people And now that the reception where Ida Karin works is closed at night on weekends, Karianne and her colleagues have even more to do. They themselves have to receive and evaluate those who come. And answer the phone. There can be 40-100 calls every night. – And no more resources have been given for that task. So now there is an extra midwife from us with that phone at the weekend at night. Karianne Ellinger-Kaya (left) and Ida Karin Rosset are midwives and shop stewards for the Norwegian Nurses Association at Ullevål. The pressure of work also takes its toll on mental health, they say. Photo: Jenny Dahl Bakken / news Must cut more But even if they lack midwives, savings must be made. Among other things, to get money to build new hospitals. In this year’s budget, the women’s clinic will cut 30 man-years. But it will be safe to give birth at the hospital, promises department head Hanne Knutsen: – Partly because of the persistent efforts our employees put in for the women who depend on us. Hello! Do you have any thoughts about the case you have read? Or more tips about maternity care, the housing market, facilitation at school or mental health? Perhaps about something completely different from Greater Oslo that should be taken care of? Feel free to get in touch!
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