Industrial directives which were leaving patients at Karin Grech Hospital bedbound have been lifted following an agreement between the nurses’ union and the Steward Malta Hospitals.

The dispute which had been dragging for months revolved over the nurses’ liability in case of an accident, in the wake of a shortage of staff.

In March last year, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses had ordered industrial action following a court judgment in which a nurse and a nursing aide were found guilty of manslaughter when a dementia patient died after choking on food in 2012. The patient, who had no supervision at the time, was meant to have a one-to-one carer in attendance.

In a statement on Thursday morning, MUMN said that under this agreement, Steward had agreed to cover all legal expenses(both criminal and civil) and any fines incurred, for nurses involved in litigation as a result of incidents occurring during supervision recommended by Allied Health Care professions and physicians, regardless of whether the nurses were found guilty or not.

The arrangement applies for both Karin Grech Hospital and the Gozo General Hospital.  

However, incidents caused by misconduct or gross negligence on the part of the nurse would not be covered by Steward Health Care.  

MUMN also said that additional carers would also be recruited in all rehabilitation wards so as to improve the service at Karin Grech Hospital.

The nurses’ union expressed disappointment that the Health Division was not willing to offer the same liability coverage in other hospitals not managed by Steward. Consequently, directives elsewhere regarding liability would not be lifted, MUMN said.

In a separate statement, Steward Malta president Nadine Delicata described the agreement as a significant win for patients and healthcare front liners.

“Our focus is always that of delivering the highest quality care possible and of safeguarding the interests of our patients and our workforce. We feel that by providing legal cover for our staff, they will feel further empowered and protected when conducting duties within our hospitals and are happy that these directives can be lifted once and for all.”

Steward Malta said it looked forward to a continued engagement with unions and all other stakeholders which would see the full delivery of its obligations under the hospitals concession agreement. This included breaking ground on the new hospitals in Malta and Gozo this year and Steward’s commitment to the wider health care community, the statement read.