Professional Responsibility 19.01 The parties agree that resident care is enhanced if concerns relating to professional practice and workload are resolved in a timely and effective manner, as set out below; In the event that the Home assigns a number of residents or a workload to an individual employee or group of employees, such that she or they have cause to believe that she or they are being asked to perform more work than is consistent with proper resident care, she or they shall:
i) At the time the workload issue occurs, discuss the issue within the Home to develop strategies to meet resident care needs using current resources. If necessary, using established lines of communication, seek immediate assistance from an individual(s) identified by the Home who has responsibility for timely resolution of workload issues.
ii) Failing resolution at the time of occurrence of the workload issue, complain in writing to the Union-Management Committee within twenty (20) calendar days of the alleged improper assignment. The chairperson of the Union-Management Committee shall convene a meeting of the Union-Management Committee within twenty (20) calendar days of the filing of the complaint. The Union-Management Committee shall hear and attempt to resolve the complaint to the satisfaction of both parties. The Employer will provide a written response to the Union, with a copy to the ONA representation within ten (10) calendar days.
iii) Prior to the complaint being forwarded to the Independent Assessment Committee, the Union may forward a written report outlining the complaint and recommendations to the Director of Resident Care and/or the Administrator.
iv) At any time during this process, the parties may agree to the use of a mediator to assist in the resolution of the Professional Practice issues.
v) Any settlement arrived at under 19.01 (a) i) – iii) shall be signed by the parties.
vi) Failing resolution of the complaint within twenty (20) calendar days of the meeting of the Union-Management Committee, the complaint shall be forwarded to an independent Assessment Committee composed of three (3) registered nurses; one chosen by the Ontario Nurses' Association, one chosen by the Home and one chosen from a panel of independent registered nurses who are well respected within the profession. The member of the Committee chosen from the panel of independent registered nurses shall act as Chairperson.
vii) The Independent Assessment Committee shall set a date to conduct a hearing into the complaint, within twenty (20) calendar days of its appointment, and shall be empowered to investigate as is necessary to properly assess the merits of the complaint. The Independent Assessment Committee shall report its findings, in writing, to the parties within twenty (20) calendar days following completion of its hearing.
(b) i) The list of Independent Assessment Committee Chairpersons is attached as Appendix “B”. The members of the panel shall sit in rotation as agreed by the parties. If a panel member is unable to sit within the time limit stipulated, the panel member next scheduled to sit will be appointed by the parties.
