A director at Leamington District Memorial Hospital admits uncertainty surrounding the future of the obstetrics unit is affecting staffing levels.
Rebecca Ismail says so far; one nurse has found a job elsewhere while another is off sick with a broken arm. Services haven't been affected so far, but administration anticipates temporary closures of up to 24 hours or longer if there's an illness or other nurses resign.
In that event, hospital staff will call expecting mothers who are close to their delivery date and advise them where to go should they go into labour.
Ismail stresses staff are coping, and services haven't been affected, but it's a tough time at the unit. "It causes anxiety," she says. "It's something that we're assessing daily and we're forced to have to look at this. We're very concerned from a patient perspective."
The hospital board had recommended closing the unit at the end of March, but the Erie St.Clair Local Health Integration Network's board postponed the closure until at least June. It wants to give a professional panel time to assess the unit and make recommendations.