99% of hospitals struggle to recruit paramedics

The figure is chilling: 99% of hospitals and nursing homes are experiencing difficulties recruiting paramedics. Where does this number come from? From a survey carried out by the French Hospital Federation (FHF) in April and May 2022 with 400 public health and medico-social establishments, bringing together more than 380,000 non-medical professionals. In detail, 80.3% constantly encounter recruitment difficulties, and 18.9% on an ad hoc basis.

“Objectifying a complicated debate”

“It is an important HR survey which comes to objectify a complicated debate, underlines Frédéric Valletoux, president of the FHF. We hear about a wave of departures since the Covid-19 crisis. We talk about emergencies, but it concerns all floors. »

Concerns differ between establishments and areas. “Hospitals place the recruitment of nurses at the top of their needs,” says Zaynab Riet, general delegate of the FHF. In nursing homes, the priority is to find caregivers. The services that are struggling the most to attract people are geriatrics, emergencies and psychiatry. “Recruitment difficulties are largely concentrated at night,” continues Zaynab Riet. We will have to carry out a project to find out how to better recognize night professionals, better articulate professional and personal life. »

It is in hospitals, excluding CHUs, that the situation in terms of non-medical human resources “has deteriorated the most”, with in particular a doubling of unfilled nursing positions (6.6% in April 2022 against 3% in 2019).

A 3% increase in staff

“Contrary to the frequent image of a” flight of carers “, public establishments have recorded an average increase of 3% in their full-time equivalent workforce in three years”, underlines Zaynab Riet. An astonishing figure, especially since all types of establishments are affected by this increase.

Why has this failed to reduce the proportion of vacancies among nursing aides and nurses? “Recourse to the hospital is increasing, the care is heavier, the patients received require more time, she lists. This increase in staff is not felt due to absenteeism, either. »

Indeed, absenteeism (sick leave, maternity leave, long-term illness, etc.) has increased significantly: it rose from 7.4% in 2012, to 9% in 2019, to stabilize at 10% in 2021. It “weakens the day-to-day functioning of the teams,” insists the report.

This high absenteeism, combined with the difficulty of recruiting, reduces “the catch-up capacity” of deprogrammed care during the Covid-19 epidemic, warns the FHF. Should we, in this context, call back unvaccinated caregivers? The debate had raged during the presidential election. “Agents suspended for non-vaccination represent only 0.3% of staff, or approximately 4,000 to 5,000 professionals from all professions, caregivers and non-caregivers, out of 1.2 million agents. They cannot therefore be considered as a “pool””, nuances the FHF.

The FHF requests a continuity of care plan by region

How to help the emergencies to pass the summer in this context of impasse and a few days from the return of the flash mission of François Braun? “We recall our request that the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) coordinate care continuity plans, to ensure that there is coordination of schedules for attendance at the hospital and the opening of practices, explains Frédéric Valletoux. Hospitals are in a very difficult situation, structurally and even more tense since the Covid crisis. We are on the bone, particularly in the emergency services. We are calling for collective responsibility. So that solidarity in the territories is exercised until September, and especially at the end of July-beginning of August. To see if this track will be taken up by the Elysée in early July.

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