Notice of care staff's summer vacation is delayed

In normal cases, the healthcare staff in Blekinge usually receive a notification of summer vacation weeks two months in advance. But because of the current corona crisis, this year's message comes a month later - in mid-May.

- The hope is that the staff will have four consecutive holiday weeks during June-September. At the same time, we must have preparedness in case the situation worsens, says Jonas Kullberg, HR director at Region Blekinge.

He says that the region has long been offering its employees a so-called summer package, a cash allowance, if they choose to postpone their vacation and work during the summer.

Gunilla Månsson, chairman of the Healthcare Association in Blekinge, takes a serious look at the risk of a missed holiday during the summer months for the county's healthcare staff.

- Our members need recovery to cope with this whole pandemic and the usual care that needs to be done.

She believes that the Health Care Association has long advocated that poor working conditions mean that experienced staff choose to leave the profession.

- We can see that the employer has emptied the health care system of their warehouses on protective equipment, and just as crazy the employer has emptied their warehouses of knowledge, which makes it even tougher to staff this period, she says.

Jonas Kullberg is aware of the high burden on the healthcare staff.

- But we work actively with the working environment, skills development and our terms of employment, he says.

Do you think a delayed holiday message can contribute to a worse feeling on the staff?

- It is clear that it may interfere with one's planning that the message is delayed, but in terms of the general feeling, the corona eruption is in itself a major cause of concern, says Jonas Kullberg.

Hear more in the clip above.