Demands on the traffic light: The care industry expects a lot

The need is great in nursing: too few staff, too low pay, too high costs. At the German Care Day, the demands on the future federal government will be great.

The calls for help from nursing can hardly be more urgent: If politicians don’t act soon, the President of the German Nursing Council, Christine Vogler, fears an emergency: “Then that means for the clinics that they can no longer serve certain specialist departments, that wards will be closed “she says. This also applies to nursing homes – “that is, the relatives have to take over the basic care”.

Berlin nurses have been on strike for weeks

It is already difficult to find an outpatient nursing service, according to Vogler. The care of the sick and those in need of care is already suffering. That is why nurses from the Charité and Vivantes clinics have been on strike in Berlin for weeks.

One of them is Stella Merendino, a nurse in emergency medicine. She complains about the staff shortage in normal operation: Shifts that would have to be provided with seven skilled workers would only be driven by three. “Critical patients are undersupplied or things are recognized too late that could have been dealt with much better in advance,” says Merendino. The 27-year-old no longer wants to work under these conditions, even though she loves her job.

Nurses demand higher budgets for hospitals

This is what happens to many in nursing. That is why the strikers are calling for a higher staffing ratio. For this, the hospitals, for example, would have to get an extra budget so that they really hire more people, explains Merendino, who is involved in the Berlin hospital movement.

Only higher wages were not enough. But in addition to more staff, better pay is also needed, the German Nursing Council is convinced, in order to attract more people into the profession.

Nursing council calls for nationwide wages of 4,000 euros

For Christine Vogler, this is part of the coalition agreement: “Use and implement personnel assessment instruments – immediately in the next two or three years,” she demands. “And to ensure that the nurses all over Germany arrive at a level of 4,000 euros.”

Up to now there have been different wages between care for the elderly and the sick, as well as regionally. Of course, more staff, who are better paid, costs.

The problem in care for the elderly: Those in need of care already pay an average of more than 2000 euros per month themselves. Therefore, a reform of the finances is needed. A real chunk for the SPD, Greens and FDP in their exploratory talks.

Open ears for the problems are not enough

Sabine Dittmar, the health policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group, would like to combine statutory and private insurance to form a citizens ‘insurance: “It’s no secret when I say that we Social Democrats naturally want to move in the direction of citizens’ insurance or a financial balance between statutory and want private insurance. ” A higher federal grant is also a viable option. “I very much hope that the FDP will jump over its shadow here,” says Dittmar.

A tax subsidy is probably more feasible with the FDP than a citizens’ insurance. The SPD and the Greens are not that far apart.

The nursing staff expects a lot: the problems have always been met with open ears, says Vogler – but now politicians must also show consistency and tackle the solutions.