The healthcare system is risking collapse unless urgent investment is made in its nursing workforce, the director of nursing services at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has warned, highlighting chronic understaffing, unsafe working conditions, and high rates of migration among nurses as key threats.
Addressing the Barbados Nurses Association’s (BNA) Nurses Week seminar at the Barbados Beach Club on Wednesday, Henderson Pinder issued a call to policymakers, unions, and national leaders to act decisively, saying the nursing sector is “in the midst of an unprecedented crisis”.
“You may realise that even when strained and under-resourced and under pressure, our nurses are making a huge impact,” Pinder told attendees. “But the Barbados nursing workforce is under threat-from chronic understaffing, unsafe work conditions, and an alarming rate of migration by skilled professionals.”
The 2025 theme, Our Nurses. Our Future. The Economic Power of Care, selected by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), served as the backdrop for a wide-ranging and impassioned address that touched on Barbados’ public health vulnerabilities, workforce policy failures, and the undervaluing of the nursing profession.
“I see a bright future,” said Pinder, “but we must take action to diminish the threats to safe, supported and healthy work conditions that will attract future nurses and retain dedicated nurses who are the key to providing better health and causing a thriving society.”
Pinder argued that strategic investment in nursing could be transformative — not just for healthcare, but for the country’s economy. Citing global data, he noted that poor workforce health can carry enormous economic costs, while effective investment in employee wellbeing yields returns as high as US$11.7 trillion ($23.4 trillion), according to the McKinsey Health Institute.
“Nurses are the most valuable assets in our healthcare system,” he said. “We are the heart of care. Caring for our nurses is a wise investment in the health and the wellbeing of our nation.”
But, he warned that Barbados has been slow to take meaningful action.
Attendees at the Barbados Nurses Association’s (BNA) Nurses Week seminar. (SZB)
“We’ve analysed the problem, however we have not tackled the problem. We have implemented short-term fixes or we have thrown money at the problem, but the problem continues.”
While acknowledging some progress in nurse-led care models, such as diabetic and skin integrity clinics at the QEH, Pinder said these successes were not enough to offset the broader failings of the system.
“As a country, we have not properly managed our health workforce,” he said. “We continue to make decisions that undervalue and undermine nurses.”
Beyond staffing and compensation, the nursing director highlighted disturbing trends of workplace violence and burnout, especially against female nurses, who make up 87 per cent of the workforce.
“Nurses face an escalating threat to their safety, particularly from workplace violence,” he said, referencing both patient aggression and conflicts with co-workers. “But what is worrying-some nurses also reported that unfortunately they face violence from co-workers.”
He urged nurses not to remain silent: “I wish to encourage you, all of you, not to normalise violence… Every time it happens, report.”
The cumulative pressures of the profession-coupled with stagnant salaries and limited career progression-are fuelling attrition and deterring future entrants, he said.
“We are failing to face and address the core issues that are driving experienced nurses to leave the profession and deter new nurses from joining the workforce.”
Drawing from recent ICN research by the Rosemary Bryant Research Centre, Pinder cited a global shortfall of over nine million nurses and called for structural reform, both internationally and at home.
“To bring the situation under control, we need another 30 million healthcare workers globally. Barbados must do its part,” he stressed.
He also took aim at the overreliance on short-term fixes such as international recruitment and the task-shifting of responsibilities to less skilled workers.
“In many instances, this fails to address the cause of nurse retention and recruitment-and in some cases, is actually worsening the problem.”
Instead, Pinder proposed strengthening the national nursing pipeline, beginning with the Barbados Community College.
“Our solution must ensure that the Barbados healthcare system is well-supplied, well-equipped, well-supported with nurses.”
Despite the gravity of the crisis, Pinder ended on a hopeful note, urging collective action built on one foundational principle: caring.
“Caring is one of the core values of our nursing profession,” he said. “Therefore, caring for our nurses must go beyond offering support in response to physical and emotional challenges. We must address the structural challenges and the drivers of our workforce crises.
“The need for action is now. Not next week. Investing in our nurses will benefit our healthcare system, translate to better patient outcomes, a better economy… We have the power to shape the landscape of nurses, the quality of care, and Barbados’ future.”
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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