HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-1890.Andrews et al.92-02-11 · , ONTARIO EMPLOYES DE LA COURONNE
· " CROWN EMPLOYEE3 DE L'ONTARIO
GRIEVANCE C.OMMISSION DE
SETTLEMENT REGLEMENT
BOARD DES GRIEFS
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1890/89, 197/90, 202/90 ~
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IN THE ~tTTER OF ~ ~It~ITI~T~ON
Unde~
THE CRO~I~EMPLOYEES COLLECTZVE B~I~G~N~NG ~CT
BeEore
THE G~ZEV~NCE SETTLEMENT BO~.D
BETWEEN
OPSEU (Andrews et al) PHASE 3
Grievor
The Crown in Right of Ontario
(Ministry of Health)
Employer
BEFO~kE= J. Samuels Vice-Chairperson
S. Urbain Member
D. Daugharty Member
FOE THE N. coleman
G~IEVOR Counsel
Gowling, Strathy & Henderson
Barristers & Solicitors
FOR TEE C. Zabek
EMPLOYER Counsel
Fraser & Beatty
Barristers & Solicitors
HE~RIN~ September 12, 25, 1990
December 17, 1990
December 3, 4, 17, 18, 1991
January 29, 1992
This is our third award dealing with some 57 grievances concerning
the classification of the nurses who work in the twelve out-patient clinics of
the Queen Street Mental Health Centre in Metropolitan Toronto.
The twelve out-patient clinics of the Queen Street Mental Health
Centre help patients with mental illnesses to function outside the hospital
environment. The clinics are staffed by psychiatrists, social workers,
psychologists, clerical employees, occupational therapists, recreationists,
vocational rehabilitation counsellors, workshop instructors, and nurses.
These employees offer clinical and rehabilitation assistance. The clinical
staff is concerned with the treatment of the mental illness itself. The
rehabilitation staff is concerned with improving the patient's ability to cope
with the activities of daily living, such as finding a job and managing one's
finances.
In our first two awards, we dealt~ with the classifications of the
clinical nurses who provide professional nursing service in the cYmics and
in the patients' homes. These nurses were all classified as Nurse 2 General.
In Phase 1, the parties agreed to present as an example 'the case for the
Nurse 2 Generals at the Lakeshore Outpatient and Community Services
Clinic. In late 1990, we heard evidence concerning the work of Ms. Cindy
Arthurs, a Nurse 2 at Lakeshore, and we concluded, in an award released
on January 14, 1991, that Ms. Arthurs was not properly classified as a
Nurse 2 General, and that she ought to be classified as a Nurse 3 General.
This first award enabled the parties to settle all the grievances from
the Nurse 2s at the out-lying clinics. All of these nurses were reclassified
as Nurse 3 General.
In Phase 2, we dealt with the Nurse 2s at the three clinics located at
the. Queen Street Mental Health Centre. These three clinics are Unit 1
Basement, Unit 2 Basement, and Unit 4-1 Day-care. We concluded that
these nurses too were not properly classified as Nurse 2 General, but we
provided a different remedy than for Ms. Arthur,. In an award released
on January 29, 1992, we said:
Taking all of this into consideration, it may be
possible to fit the Phase 2 grievors too into the
Nurse 3 General ~tandard, but we have concluded
that the better remedy is to order the Ministry to
develop an. appropriate class standard for them.
Indeed, we will go further to suggest that 'it is
necessary to develop a new class series to cover
psychiatric nurses who work in clinics such as the
ones we have learned about in this case. The
Nurse General series is designed to cover nurses
who are not the primary professional care
givers it covers nurses who work in situations
where a doctor orders the primary treatment.
Whereas, in the clinics with which we have been
concerned here, the nurses have the primary
responsibility for developing the treatment plans
for. the patients. A patient does not come to one
of these clinics to be .the patient of a particular
doctor, with the nurses performing a number of
the elements of treatment, as directed by the
doctor. At these ~clinics, the patients become the
responsibility of a particular nurse, and the nurse
is in charge of the treatment plan and its
implementation. The class series and standards
ought to reflect this fundamental reality.
Once an appropriate class series and
standards are developed, it will probably be best
to reclassify all the psychiatric nurses, including
those whose grievances were before us originally
and who have already been reclassified to Nurse 3
General.
Now we will deal with the classification of the Head Nurses at the
Lakeshore Clinic and at the Queen Street Mental Health Centre in Unit 2
Basement. These nurses are classified as Nurse 3 General. They claim that
4
they are not properly classified and they ask this Board to order that the
Ministry create a classification which would be appropriate for them.
As in Phase 2, the parties were able to agree on the facts and this has
helped us enormously to deal with these grievances in as expeditious a
fashion as possible. Appended to this award you will find the Nurse 3
General Class Standard, the two Position Specifications, and the Agreed
Statement of Facts.
The Head Nurses carry their own clinical caseloads. This takes up
about 50% of their workload. The other 50% is given to supervisory and
administrative tasks.
The essential argument of the Union .is that the Head Nurses cannot
have the same classification as the clinical nurses over whom they exercise
a measure of supervision and administration. Given that some of these
clinical nurses are Nurse' 3 General, as a result of our first award, the head
Nurses must be classified in some 'other classification.
On the other hand, the Ministry argues that, though it may be
unusual for a supervisor to have the same classification as the employee
over whom the supervision is exercised, the Head Nurses' positions are
embraced by the Nurse 3 General Class Standard.
Our fn-st task is to determine whether the Head Nurses' positions are
embraced by the Nurse 3 General Class Standard.
The first paragxaph of the Standard: speaks of the "professional
supervision of the nursing and personal care of a group of patients in an
infirmary, ward or administrative unit of an Ontario Hospital or other
provincial institution" (emphasis added). The functions contemplated
include scheduling duties, arranging the rotation of shifts and counselling
and disciplining staff as required.
~ 5
In the "Qualifications" required, the third paragraph speaks of the
"ability to supervise ward or infirmary nursing services" (emphasis added).
In our view, the Nurse 3 General Class Standard contemplates
supervisory and administrative functions primarily with respect to other
nurses.
The Head Nurses with whom we are concerned have supervisory and
administrative functions which go beyond nursing.
'In paragraph 4 of the Agreed Statement of Facts, we learn that, at
the Lakeshore Clinic, the Head Nurse has administrative responsibility for
the whole clinic during the absence of the Program Director (that is, when
the Program Director is on vacation and while the Program Director is
away two half-days every week). While this responsibility may be shared
on occasion with other senior staff members, over the course of any week
or any year, for about 20% of the time, the Head Nurse has the
administrative responsibility for the whole clinic, replacing the Program
· .. Director. And this administrative responsibility is exercised with respect
to four staff nurses, one senior social worker, two social workers, four
part-time psychiatrists, two psychiatric residents, one psychologist, one
senior occupational therapist, two occupational therapists, one workshop
supervisor, three workshop instructors, one recreationist and two clerical
workers.
Paragraph 6 of the Agreed Statement of Facts 'tells us that, in Unit 2
Basement, the Head Nurse at all times has administrative responsibility for
the whole Clinic, coordinating the .day to day activities of all staff
(including a psychometrist and an occupational therapist), excluding the
part-time psychiatrist. Though the occupational therapist and
psychometrist look elsewhere for their professional supervision, it is the
Head Nurse who ensures that the programs scheduled for the day are
running as scheduled.
At both Clinics, the Head Nurses are consulted with respect to the
hiring decisions of non-nursing clinical staff; and, on occasion, the Head
Nurse at Lakeshore participates on the selection panel for non-nursing
clinical staff (paragraph 8 of the Agreed Statement of Facts).
Thus, on the one hand, -the administrative functions of the Head
Nurses at the two Clinics are broader than the functions contemplated in
the Nurse 3 General Class Standard.
On the other hand, the degree of supervision exercised over nurses is
lesser at the Clinics than is contemplated in the Nurse 3 General Class
Standard or as is generally the case on a hospital ward.
As we said in our first two awards, the most essential characteristic
of the positions of the clinical nurses is their independence. On page 5 of
the Phase i award, we said of Ms. Arthurs that she "receives virtually no
direction from her head nurse. There is no regular contact with the head
nurse concerning the caseload or Ms. Arthurs' day-m-day work." On page
6 of that award, we commented that "From the initial decision to admk the
patient to the Lakeshore clinic, to the preparation of the treatment plan, to
the carrying out of the required psychotherapy, Ms. Arthurs exercises a
much greater degree of independent judgment and responsibility than is
contemplated within the structured environment of a hospital ward." On
page 7 of the Phase 1 award, we said "we have no difficulty in concluding
that she does exercise a greater degree of independent judgment and
initiative than is generally the case in the performance of nursing duties".
Having come to these conclusions concerning the clinical nurses, the
corollary must be that the Head Nurses do not exercise the same degree of
supervision and administration over the clinical nurses as is contemplated
in the relationship generally between the Head Nurse (who is classified as
Nurse 3 General) and the ward nurse (who is classified as Nurse 2
General).
These two observations---concerning the scope of administrative
responsibility of the Head Nurses at the Clinics, and the degree of
supervision over the clinical nurses--lead us to the conclusion that Head
Nurses are not appropriately classified as Nurse 3 General. The Nurse 3
General Class Standard contemplates a different working environment and
a different relationship between the Head Nurse and the clinical nurses. As
we said in Phase 2 (at page 8),
The Nurse General series is designed to cover
nurses who are not the primary professional care
giversmit covers nurses who work in situations
where a doctor orders the primary treatment.
Whereas, in the clinics with which we have been
concerned here, the nurses have the primary
responsibility for developing the treatment plans
for the patients. A patient does not come to one
of these clinics to be the patient of a particular
doctor, with the nurses performing a number of
the elements of treatment, as directed by the
doctor. At these clinics, the patients become the
responsibility of a particular nurse, and the nurse
is~ m charge of the treatment plan and its
implementation. The class series and standards
ought to reflect this fundamental reality.
We order the Ministry to develop an appropriate class standard for
the two Head Nurses.
We will reserve our. jurisdiction to determine whether the grievors
are properly classified in'the new classification developed by the Ministry.
The grievors should be reclassified as of 20 days before each
grievance, and Should be compensated for any monies which ought to have
been paid and were not paid because of the improper classification, with
interest at I0% per annum on any sum from the date it ought to have been
paid to the date it is paid.
We will also retain jurisdiction over any of the original grievances
which the parties are unable to settle as a result of our three awards.
Done at London,.Ontario, this ~tth dayof February ,1992
~uels, Qice-Chairperson
S. Urbain, Member
D. Daugharty, Member--~/
Employees Ln positions altocate~ to this class provide
profess~on~ supe~s~on of ~e n~s~g
~ i~uP of p~Ae~ts ~ ~ ~fi~. w~ or a~is~r~ive
~i~ of ~ ~io Mospit~ or o~he~ p~v~ci~ iAsti~ion.
Most pos~t~ons ~ this class
suc~ p~s~zons ~hese ~ployees scheme ~u~ies, ~e.the
~oca~on o~ sh~s ~ co.scl ~d ~/scipl~e s~ ~s requi~.
~hough ~p~oyees m ~hAs
supe~$o~ n~s~g, ~edzc~ or insti~tion~
requt~ to exe~Ase s~e ~dependen~ j~ ~d ~i~iative.
· ~[cularly ~ ~e~enc~es.
rev~ chis, prepare repo~s, ~~ re~o~s, ebs~ ~ener~
~a~nten~ce ~d cle~[iness o~ ~ ~acilities. o~er supplies,
~upe~se ~he p~vis~on of fo~ seduces' ~o pa~en~s ~d ~sis:
~ ~nff ~ra~t p~lr~s.. ~ey ~y conduc~ ¢i~ics or p~vide
ou~pa~zen~ orthopa~c or ~ergen~ c~.
1. Re~L~trat£on as a nurse :n Onta.rLo; Jo~ ~l~ge :f
~rofess~o.~ ~eo~ ~d practice'~ appli~ ~o ~stituticnal
nurs~; ~referably c~p2etion of ~ pos:-jrad~te certificate
2. Y~ o~ ~o years of acceptable trad~te nurs~l e~ertence,
preferibly ~lated to the duties to be perform.
Ab~:~ ~ super:se ~&~ or ~fi~ nur~ semites; ability
to neet the publ:c ~d to provide co~el to st~ff ~ to patients'
feint:yes as required; :nLczative; ~o~ physical ~d ~enc~ hez~th.
Position Specification & Class AIIocaUon-CSC 61.~
.~eed ~e ~n~t 2 ~4~ent ~ 05-~77~-G~ ~
HfllCh Mental Health Facilities
~ueen S~aet Henta~ Hea~Ch Cen~el ~~''Mt~-~gSO~
L [ [ I 4.6 I Nursing C~dinator { 05-977[-04
Re.fling Co the Nursing C~rdinator, ~he Head N~se, within a mul~i-dLscipiin~y enviro~n~
pr~oCea pr~r~ planning ~d a~inis~aCLon; and ~rd&n~:es a client came lo~ to ene~e
1. ~nisCers and supervises the delive~ of N~a~n~ Se=vice~ ~:
· p~Cici~:ing in the saint&on and hit~ng process ~ ensue patient c~e needs
· ach~uling n~sLng staf~ to ensure ~rkload requXr~enta ~e met;
' ~nitorinq and evaluaCLnq ~ployee ~for~nce and atte~ce ~ ~th ~orma[
~nfor~ revi~ p~oc~es Co enema p~fo~c~ ebiLit~e~ a~ ax~tat~ons ~d
~liecCive Agre~enC a~Cer consultation vi~ the ~sl~ C~rdinator end
R~ion~ Personne[ Office;
' con~i~ting to ~ployee orientation a~ ~evelo~ent ~ ~acilitating and presenti~
relevant inse~ice and ~ucaCionai smaeionaa
' acting as ~ ~ofmaaionai ~d clinical race. ce t0' n~sinq ~rsonnel and och~
disciplines ~s t~uAr~ :o enhance intra ~d ~nC~ profesaioma~ ~un~cation=
· p~cici~c~ng in ~i~ a~ ~ ~c hospitai/n~ing c~ittee struct~ee aa r~i~.
co concri~ce ~ orqani~aCional/de~efltal goals ~d ~rsp~tivea;
' ensuing rel~C hospital a~ de~enCal ~licies a~ proc~ures ~e
an& maintain~ to enhance de~r~ental goals a~
' res~ndimg to a~ investigating client, ~ily or 4~en~ c~p/ein~s to enhance c~e
dei2v~ and client
Nurses and the N~aimg
'4. Skills ~ imawled~ ~l~vbed tl) pi~e~m ~eb at tull w~king lcfii. {i~m ~t~ ~ehtb~ ~ i~. JI
R~istered as a nurse in Ont~io; t~rough k~wi~ge of ~eneral a~ psychiatric nurmi~ th~:
an~ practice to include knowi~ge o~ paychia~ic illnesses, disorders and ~haviours;
o~ relevant drugs and aide e~(ects; knowk~ge of reliant m~ical conditions and ~rgency
oroc~ures; AntervAewinq. Counsell:na, end documents:ion skills: de~nstra[~ [ea~rsb~ a~
~. S}9~turl I~t~ S~ ~y M~th YW O~
O~ ~ Yer
~ree 3, ~neral S0054 SP-06 O[ ~ O1 I 90
n~ling c~e provid~ to patients/clients on a ward/progr~ o~ an ~Ca~io Hospital.
a. Inc~nCs schedule and dei~aCe du[iea~ counsel or discipline stall ~ega~ding
C. R~i~te=~ aa a nurse in OnC~io; ability Co su~rviae nursing services; ability Co interne
with pubiic patience, =cia:ives and
~' 2. Pro~o~es Program p~an~ng and Administration ~y:
PrOgram to ensure client needs are
·:~ord~nat~nq service or muLC~-d~c~p~:flar¥ meetings to evaluate and
revzse outpatient program and care delivery:
an~ua~i¥ and as re~red to ~nsuee ~c~q~ ~eeds ~e
· monzco~ng expenditures Co en~ur~ progr~ ~dgtcs are ~especc~;
.. ' ~aCZ2~CdC~ng and ~rC~c~pac~hg ~n progr~ tese~c~ 4~ zdenC~ or
3. C~dinacew 4 client casa [o4~ ~y:
to decerm:ne client's eligibility for adm:sa~o~ a~ outlined by
' formuiaclag, in consultation with the client and Chi multi-disciplinary
a rehab~izCaC~on tr~a~enc Plan vh~ch, may inc2ude a m~tcac~on maznCenance
p=~r~, soc~a[ and rK~eat~ona2 acC~vtC~ea and vocational
35% ' monitoring and evaluating client's res~nse co trea~enC ~lan
~nce~e~s, home v~sZCs and/or f~]y end co.unity feed~ck;
' u~ating in ~onsulCa~ion ~ich the client an~ :he mult[-~sc~plinary
client gain accell and co ensure e~f~:ive use of co~un:Cy resourcel;
' co~unAcac~ng w~ch clAenC'~ social and co~u~Cy net~cka such aa
fr~end~, landlords, physicianJ, ~pioye~s and ~lice to ensue co~nicy
sup~c and consistency;
' conductin~ patient mup~rt and life s~ill~ groups to pc~ce sec:a[
' a~inistering m~icatio~ to clinic c~iencJ ~iChe~ orally or parenCerally
4. Sk~ll~ and know~edge required ~o perform ~o~ at ~ull ~or~ing ~evei (cont'd.)
supervisory sk~ils; knovledqe of hospital and department ;~[icy an~ proc~e:
knowl~ge of co.unity reso~ces; knowi~ge of relevant acta such as'~en:al Health
~t, Health Disciplines Act, Pub2ic ~wpACaAa AcC, C~oun ~pZoyees Co IJecczve
Sargeining Ac~; ~cupat~ona[ Health and Safety AcC and the relevaflc Collective
Agreement; knovl~ge o~ Chi Onc~o Collie of Nurses Standards.
(~efet ~ blc~ of ~on~ ~cw ~tk)n ~~
NU~SE,OutpaCLent ~ Co~u~L~y Se=vtces,~keshozeI 05-~77~-74 '
HeaLth t ~ental ~ea~th Facilities
I 2 J 6 I Assistant Ofrecto~ of Nu~sinq / 05-977Z-02
Re~tinq Co the Assistant Director of Nu~ing and the P~og~am D/rector, the ~ead Nurse.
a multi~isc/plina~y environme~c.an~ in a co~un~t~-based outgati%nt
a~inLsters and su~rvise~ nursing services; ~romote~ pr~cam planning and a~inistrac/on,
coordinates a client case-load to ensure clients w~th an acute oc prolonged ~nt&L ~ll~ss are
~ehab~litaCed and ~iocal~ed within =he co. unify a~ cbe~ opCfm~ leve~ of
A~inis~e~s and su~rvises the del/very OE Nursing Self,es
particles=ins ~n t~e s~lection a~'d hiring process ~o ensure ~atfent care ,eeds ~e
by qualified
scheduling nursing s~a~f ~n~ st~n~s ~o ensure workload require~nts and educational
experiences are
infor~l review procedures to ensure ~rfo=mance abilities and ex~tatio.s are
maximLzed~
ten.riding to employee complaints and stage one grievances, as outlined is the
Col!ect/ve.Agree~C, after consultation with ~he Assistant Director of Nursing
the Regional Personnel Office~
contributing co employee oriencaCfon and deveLo~flt by ~acllitat~ng and presenting
relevant /~se=vLce and educa~Lonal sessLons~
acting a~ a professional and clinical'resoucce Co nursing personnel ~nd
disciplines as required to enhance intra and inter professional c~unicacion~
participating tn regular and ad h~ hosp~tal/n~stng c~ftcees, as r~utr~, =o
contribute =o or~anfza=~onal/depar~nCal goals and ~rs~c=ives~
and maintained ~o enhance departmental goals and ~rspeccives~
res~nding =o and Enves~i~aCin~ client, f~ily or aqency compEt~ncs ~o enhance c~e
delivery ~d cLien= relacions~
pro.ting high qu~1lcy patient care by adhering ~o ~he 5~anda~ds o~ =he Co~ege of
~urses and ~he Nursing OeparCmn=,
4, Skitl~ a~d knowledge required to I~rfmm job it ~1~ ~ ~L (l~m ~ mn~e~
~egtstege6 as a nurse En Ontario; thorough knowledge of general and psychiatric nursing tbeor
and practice co include knowledge of psychiatric illnesses, disorders and ~haviours~k~iedg.
of relevant drugs and side effects~ knowledge of relevant ~dfcal conditions and e~rgency
p=ocedures~ interviewing, counsellln9, and docu~nC~C~on skills~ de.ns=raced leadership
G, Albrecht Joyce ~ainvflle,AssLstanc A~i~istraCor,
Hurse 3, General 50054 SP-06 01 I 0l j 90
A. Und~ direction of su~isory n~sing ~Cagf these /nc~ben~ su~ise and a~inister
nursing c~e provid~ ~o pa~ien[s/clien[s on a w~d/proqr~ of an Ontario
~. Inc~n[s schedule and del~a=e du[Ees; c~unsel or discipline staff regarding perforate
o~ co.ut c.
c. R~is[er~ as a n~se in ~[ar~o; abi[i[y ~o supervise nursing services~
wi~h public pa=[en~s, relatives end
^ 3. Duties ~nd related ~asks (cont'd.)
2.- P&r~Lc£p&tes.£n Prog;&m Adm~n£~t=a~£on
*. per~£c~pa~g ~n co~n£t7 committees, ~s requested, ~o enhance
¢om~un£c7 pe~spec~£ve;
coordination and utilization o[ services co ~eet cl£enC needS:
~5t outpatient programs tO ensure cILent needs are met;
~ c~rd~n~t~nq nurs~n~ or mu~-d~sc~pl~na=7 meet~nqs to
and revise outpatient prog~=ms and cate de~ve~y~
* s~b=~tt~ng budget ~u~p~nt and supply 'requests annually to
consideTedr
fac~li~inq and pa==~cipa=!ng in pr~ram/de~art=en~ research
as iden=~fied o= requi~ed.
* ~=sess~ng =nd screening refferr~s from ~np~c~ent units
co.unity ~genc~es to dete=m~ne c~enc e~g~b~y fo=
as outlined by &dm~ss~on
~ red~=ecc~nq ~nappropr~ace ~e~ecra~s to more app=op~ace co~n~cy
a~enc~es oc p=og=ams to [ac~ate c~ent p~aceMnt an~
collaborative co~un~y
* el~c~t~nq~ evaluac~nq and d~u~nC~ng ~nformac~on f~om the client,
the family, =e~ec~&l source and ~np~t~enc cecocd a~l =e~evanc data
such as psychiatric and Md~ca~ h~story, ~d~c~c~on ~eq~=emenCs,
STStem sup~t~ and employment ~tent~al to assess c~e~c
~0~ admission a~d treatment ~ec~n~ac~ons~
discEpl~nary ~eam, a tehab~lE~a~ion ~=ea~n~ p~an which may
~nc~e ~dicatEon main~enance ptoqr~, socia~ and
activities and v~a~ional skElls;
throuq~ ~nte~v~ews, lamely and/o= cO~un~ty feedback, and
co~un~y
' cO~un~ca=~nq w~h c~ent's soc~a~ end co~un~y net~rks such as
ensure comuni=y super= and consEs~en~=
' adm~n~sCer~nq ~d~caC~on Co c~n~c clients e~C~er ora~2y or
patentera~y, as ptesct~d.
4. Pe=~otms othet dutLe; as ass:~ned:
' as ass~9~ed.
4. $k111. and knowledge (conrad.)
and sup~visoty skills; knowledge of hospital and dep&rtment
policy and proceduze; knowledge o~ community resources;
knowZed~e of relevant acts such as Mental He&l=h Act, Health
O£~c~pl£nes Act, Public ~ospi~aL; Kcs, Cro~ ~ployees
Collective Bargaining Act; Occupational Health and ~afet¥ Act
and the relevant Collective Agreement~ knowledge of t~e Ontario
College of Nurses Standards.
G.S.B. No. 189/~9, 197/90, 202/90
IN THE MATTER OF AN ARBITRATION
AND IN THE MATTER OF The Crown Employees Collective
Bargaining .Act
BEFORE The Grievance Settlement Board
BETWEEN:
ONTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE.EMPLOYEES UNION
(Andrews et al.)
THE CROWN IN RIGHT OF ONTARIO
(Ministry of Health)
AGREED STATEMENT OF FACTS
1. The representative grievors, JoAnn Leavey and Janice Wicke, are Head
Nurses, respectively, at the Lakeshore and Unit 2-B Clinics providing outpatient
services for the Queen Street Mental Health Centre. The Lakeshore Clinic is located
at 3131 Lakeshore Boulevard West in Toronto. The Unit 2-g Clinic is located in the
basement of Unit 2 at the Queen Street Mental Health Centre, I001 Queen Street
West, Toronto.
2. The grievors are currently classified Nurse 3, General. They seek an
order of the Board to be properly classified.
3. The staff at the Lakeshore Clinic includes a Head Nurse, four staff
nurses, one senior social worker, two social workers, four part-time psychiatrists,
two psychiatric residents, one psychologist (PhD), one senior occupational therapist,
two occupational therapists, one workshop supervisor, three workshop instructors,
one recreationist, two clerical workers and the Program Director.
4. The Head Nurse at the Lakeshore Clinic reports to the Program
Director at the Lakeshor~ Clinic and the Assistant Director of Nursing at the Queen
Street Mental Health Centre. The. Head Nurse and on occasion, other senior staff
members have administrative responsibility for the whole clinic during any absence
of the Program Director for. vacation and two half days per week which began 2
weeks prior to the filing of the grievance.
The staff at the Unit 2-B Clinic includes the Head Nurse, four full-time
and one part-time staff nurses, one part-time psychiatrist, one psychometrist (MA)
and one occupational therapist.
6. The Head Nurse at the Unit 2-B Clinic reports to the Nursing
Coordinator in Unit 2. Twice a month she attends the Unit 2 Head Nurses meeting
held by the Nursing Coordinator as well as meets individually with the Nursing
Coordinator. In addition, informal contact initiated by either the Coordinator or the
Head Nurse occurs as required. The Head Nurse has administrative responsibility
of the Unit 2-B Clinic and coordinates the day 'to day activities of all staff, excluding
the part-time psychiatrist (that is, ensures that the.programs scheduled for the day
are running as scheduled). The occupational therapist and psychometrist receive
discipline specific professional and administrative, supervision and direction from
3
their departmental supervisors. The Head Nurse also supervises and directs
volunteers and summer employment staff assigned to the program.
The ultimate administrative responsibility, of the Lakeshore and Unit
2-B Clinics rests with Queen Street Mental Health Centre.
7. The Head Nurses devote approximately 50% of their time to
coordinating a caseload similar to the staff nurses and carry a proportionally smaller
caseload than the staff nurses. In the Lakeshore Clinic, ihe Head Nurse has a
caseload of 20-25 patients whereas the nursing staff in the Lakeshore Clinic carry a
caseload of 40-50 patients. In the Unit 2-B Clinic, the Head Nurse has a caseload of
approximately 4-8 patients whereas the nursing staff in the Unit 2-B Clinic carry a
caseload of 10-15 patients.
The Head Nurses also are assigned the following additional duties and
responsibilities.
Staff Supervision and Administration
8. The Head Nurses of the Lakeshore and Unit 2-B Clinics participate in
the selection and hiring of nursing staff at their respective clinics. The Head Nurses
assist in the preparation of interview questions and the review of resumes,
employment records and references of applicants for positions on the nursing staff.
As members of the selection panels, the Head Nurses participate in the interview of
'nursing staff applicants and in the hiring decisions of the panels with respect to
nursing staff. The Head Nurses are consulted with respect to the hiring decisions of
non-nursing clinical staff. On occasion, the Head Nurse at the Lakeshore Clinic
participates on the selection panel for non-nursing clinical staff. With respect to the
Lakeshore Clinic, the ultimate decision rests with the Assistant Director of Nursing
for ttxe hirlrtg of ~ursing staff and with the Department Head and the Program
Director for the hiring of clinical staff. With respect to the Unit 2-B Clinic, the
ultimate hiring decision rests with the Nursing Coordinator for the hiring of
nursing staff and with the Department Head and the Chief of Service for the hiring
of clinical staff.
9. Both the Head Nurses at the Lakeshore Clinic and Unit 2-B Clinic are
responsible for the scheduling' and coordinating vacations of nursing staff. Most
staff have regular working hours but the Head Nurses are responsible to ensure
coverage when staff are absent due 'to sickness and other Unexpected absences. At
the Lakeshore Clinic, other clinical staff members negotiate J~heir vacation leaves
with their respective senior staff, the Program Director and their Department Head.
The Head Nurse at the Unit 2-B Clinic negotiates vacation leave with the
occupational therapist and psychometrist to ensure adequate coverage, but approval
of vacation and time off rests with the respective Department Head. The Head
Nurse at the Lakeshore Clinic is also responsible for scheduling and coordinating
vacations of clerical staff.
10. The Head Nurses als0 schedule nursing students at the clinics to
ensure the appropriate educational experiences. In the Unit 2-B Clinic, students of
psychology and occupational therapy become a part of the multidisciplinary team
and may be recommended by the Head Nurse to work with nursing staff in
particular proiects or cases. However, at both Clinics, supervision of students in
terms of meeting their learning objectives is a discipline specific responsibility. The
Head Nurses discuss nursing student evaluations with the student
coordinator/clinical supervisor of the educational institution that place the students
with the clinics. The' usual number of students assigned to the clinics is 2-8 per year.
11. The Head Nurses conduct performance appraisals annually for all
nursing staff. The Head Nurses may identify and discuss any problems in work
performance with the nursing staff. The Head Nurses may identify and discuss any
problems in work performance with other clinical staff. If such problems are not
resolved, the Head Nurse would report the problem to the responsible Department
Head. In addition, the Head Nurses meet with the nursing staff to discuss clinical
techniques for 'treatment and care of patients at the Clinics. The Head Nurses
conduct qUarterly performance reviews and evaluations of new nursing staff during
the one-year probationary period to ensure compliance with performance standards.
However, as the turnover of nursing staff is quite low, the hiring of new staff
members occt~rs infrequently. In the Unit 2-B Clinic, the Head Nurse may
participate informally in the evaluation of other staff members assigned to the
Clinic.
12. The Head Nurses respond to and refer complaints from nursing staff
about conditions of employment. The Head Nurses receive formal grievances and
may provide the written response at stage one of the grievance procedure after
consultation with the Nursing Coordinator or Assistant Director of Nursing.
13. The Head Nurses are responsible for the orientation and development
of new nursing staff at the Clinics. The Head Nurses facilitate and participate in the
orientation of other disciplines. The Head. Nurses explain clinic and hospital
policies and procedures to new nursing staff. The Head Nurse at the Unit 2-B Clinic
and the Program Director at the Lakeshore Clinic communicate new hospital and
clinic policies and procedures, as revised, to all staff at the Clinics. The Head Nurses
communicate revised and new nursing policies to the nursing staff.
14. TI-re Head Nurses and other nursing staff act as resources in psychiatric
outpatient nursing clinical care and treatment for other staff in the Clinics. The
entire clinical staff acts a resource for other units of the Queen Street Mental Health
Centre and external agencies. The entire clinical staff provide information about
outpatient clinical services on the basis of their experience in such treatment and
care. Inquiries from other units of the Queen. Street Mental Health Centre and
external agencies which are received by the Head Nurses may be responded to
directly by the Head Nurses or referred by the Head Nurses to other nursing staff.
15. The Head Nurses participate in various committees at the Clinics and
the Queen Street Mental Health Centre. These 'committees include Nursing
Advisory Committee, Unit Head Nurse meetings, Service Advisory Committee and
Facilities Management Committee. The riursing staff, on their own initiative or as
requested by the Head Nurses, also participate in various service meetings and
hospital committees such as Unit Education Committee, Hospital Housing
Committee, and Police and Ambulance Liaison Committee.
16. The Head Nurses respond to and investigate complaints about nursing
staff from clients, families or outside agencies. The Head Nurses discuss the
complaints with the complainants and staff in question. The Head Nurses bring any
ufiresolved complaint to the attention of the Program Director or Nursing
Coordinator/Assistant Director df Nursing with any recommendations for
resolving the problem or for further action. The Head Nurses may investigate and
respond to complaints about other disciplines or the physical environment (such as
7
quality of air, cleanliness) and refer any such complaints to the Nursing
Coordinator/Assistant Director of Nursing, Program Director, Service Chief or the
appropriate Department Head.
Program Administration
17. The multidisciplinary teams of the Unit 2-t5 Clinic and the Lakeshore
Clinic are responsible for the development of out-patient programs at the clinics to
ensure proper services to clients. The programs are reviewed and evaluated by the
multidisciplinary team on a formal basis once a year and less formally throughout
the year. At the Lakeshore Clinic, the senior staff, including the Head Nurse, assist
tl~e' Program Director with the formal and informal processes of program review
and development. At the Unit 2-B Clinic, the Head Nurse, i.n consultation with the
multidisciplinary team, prepares an agenda for program review, schedules meetings
of the multidisciplinary team and prepares the annual program outline.
18. The Head Nurses also prepare equipment and supply requests for use~
in budget preparations at the Queen Street Mental Health Centre. The requests .
· prioritise the equipment and supplies required by the clinic in the coming fiscal
year. The Head Nurses also review equipment and supply purchase orders before
submitting same for approval to Nursing Administration which forwards same to
the purchasing department at Queen Street Mental Health Centre.
I9. The Head Nurses and other clinical staff participate in community
committees .on behalf of the Clinics. The Head Nurses direct or approve the
participation of other nursing staff in community c6mmittees. The purpose of
committee participation is to represent the Queen Street Mental Health Centre in
the community and to exchange input from other community agencies about the
needs of clients of the Clinics. These committees include the Subcommittee on
Health Issues in Boarding Homes (Habitat Advisory COmmittee), Workman
Theatre Project, Education Program for Friends and Families of Persons with
Schizophrenia, Lakeshore Area Multi-Service Project and Humber Unemployment
Group. With the Head Nurses' approval, other nursing staff also liaise with
community and hospital agencies to ensure effective coordination and utilization of
services to meet client needs.
20. The Head Nurses, nursing staff and other clinical staff participate in
research projects carried out by staff of the Clinics, Queen Street Mental Health
Centre and outside agendes. The Program Director of the Lakesktore Clinic and the
Head Nurse of the Unit 2-B Clinic receive the initial inquiries from such researchers
and may refer the inquiries to particular nursing or other clinical staff.
Date: ]anuary 29, 1992
OPSEU
Ministry of Health