PanCare @ TCF East nurse claims locum shifts cancelled hours before start, says no compensation given
A nurse at PanCare Medical Transitional Care Facility (TCF) @ East has raised concerns over what she described as a “possible double standard” in how confirmed locum nursing shifts are handled.
Speaking to MS News anonymously, the TCF @ East locum nurse, who asked to be referred to as “S”, claimed that her confirmed night shift on 28 Aug was cancelled just three hours before it was due to start.
Source: Google Maps
“This is particularly concerning because locum nurses are expected to provide at least 12 hours’ notice if they are sick or unable to attend a confirmed shift,” she said.
“For a last-minute cancellation, nurses can be penalised one full shift’s pay.”
However, she claimed there is no equivalent compensation when the facility cancels a confirmed shift at short notice.
S also said that multiple colleagues have received similar cancellation messages at “extremely short notice”.
Nurse says confirmed shift cancelled three hours before start
S said her first personal experience of a last-minute cancellation happened on 28 Aug.
She was scheduled for a night shift but claimed her shift was cancelled just three hours before it started.
“They told me I was on standby,” she told MS News.
“When I probed further, asking how I would have known, they said I wouldn’t know and only knew if I was cancelled.”
“They only apologised.”
Picture courtesy of nurse S
However, she said she was not offered compensation or another shift.
S said she later learnt that she was not the only nurse affected.
According to her, a colleague received a message on 24 Aug at around 7pm saying her shift had been cancelled.
This was two hours before work was due to start.
Picture courtesy of nurse S
S said she could not confirm how often such cancellations happen overall.
Claims nurses can lose one shift’s pay for late cancellations
S said PanCare Medical periodically sends reminders to nurses about the consequences of cancelling confirmed shifts at short notice.
She estimated that such reminders are sent about once every two weeks.
According to S, nurses are expected to provide at least 12 hours’ notice if they are sick or unable to attend a confirmed shift.
She claimed that failing to do so can result in a penalty equivalent to one full shift’s pay.
Picture courtesy of nurse S
This has led her to question why there is no similar arrangement when a facility cancels a confirmed locum shift shortly before it starts.
“It’s unfair because nurses are expected to give advance notice when cancelling a shift and may face financial penalties, while the facility can cancel confirmed shifts at very short notice,” she said.
S said such cancellations could leave locum nurses without income despite having committed their time to the shift.
She acknowledged that healthcare facilities may have legitimate operational reasons to adjust staffing.
However, she believes a clear and reciprocal cancellation policy could provide greater certainty for both facilities and locum nurses.
Picture courtesy of nurse S
Nurse raises concerns over treatment of locums
S also referred to a previous report concerning PanCare Medical TCF @ East, alleging that nurses were required to give advance notice for medical certificates.
S said the latest incident contributed to her concerns about how locum nurses are treated.
“I feel this reflects how nurses have limited bargaining power and are expected to be flexible and accountable,” she said.
“Meanwhile, management manipulates the nurses using their income and well-being, not giving any consideration.”
She also claimed, based on hearsay, that management removes people who voice concerns.
Source: Google Maps
PanCare Medical responds to allegations
In response to media enquiries by MS News, PanCare Medical said that it engages a third-party employment agency to supplement its nursing manpower when needed, and the agency is responsible for deploying its locum nurses and communicating roster updates to the nurses involved.
“As part of its manpower deployment arrangements, a small contingency buffer of available nurses may be maintained to manage sudden and unpredictable changes in staffing requirements, such as when a scheduled nurse becomes unavailable at short notice,” PanCare Medical said.
“Where such arrangements exist, PanCare is committed to ensuring that affected nurses are informed of their status clearly and as early as operationally possible.”
PanCare Medical emphasised how locum nurses are “integral” to their care team, and it is working closely with the agency to review current practices and communication around shift management.
Calls for clearer protection for locum nurses
Meanwhile, S told MS News that she hopes PanCare Medical and the relevant authorities will consider introducing policies that better protect locum nurses.
She said a reciprocal cancellation policy could ensure that both healthcare facilities and nurses are accountable when confirmed shifts are cancelled at short notice.
“We believe that concerns should be raised and discussed openly,” PanCare Medical said in response to media enquiries. “Staff who raised concerns or provided feedback will not face any form of retaliation.”
“We welcome feedback as an opportunity to better understand the experiences of our nurses and improve how we support them.”
Also read: Woman claims she was ‘forcibly restrained & injected’ at TTSH, hospital says staff acted responsibly
Woman claims she was ‘forcibly restrained & injected’ at TTSH, hospital says staff acted responsibly
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured images courtesy of nurse S and adapted from Google Maps.
