Cutting 288 Registered Nurses at London Health Sciences Centre Will Devastate Acute Care and Increase Wait Times, say Nurses

LONDON, ON, March 31, 2026 /CNW/ - Ontario Nurses' Association members at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) are sounding the alarm after their employer announced cuts to 288 registered nurses (RNs) across several units, but most notably in adult ambulatory and inpatient care as well as pediatric services. This cut will amount to 562,867.5 hours of RN care in total.

These cuts will negatively impact patient care and increase already crushing workloads for nurses working hard to provide timely, high-quality care. While the employer claims this is part of a benchmarking exercise to align with similarly sized academic hospitals, ONA believes it is the employer's way of cutting corners on patient care to save money.

"It's unacceptable that a hospital like LHSC, which serves thousands of acute patients, is cutting the registered nurses who provide front-line care, while their past leadership is being investigated for embezzling money," says ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. "At a time when public trust in hospital administration is already low, these new cuts make nurses question who is being prioritized: patients or budgets?"

LHSC is one of the largest acute-care teaching hospitals in the country, serving residents across London and southwestern Ontario. In 2025, LHSC came under investigation when several members of their senior management team, including their Chief Executive Officer, was fired for allegedly embezzling money. Nurses, health-care professionals and their patients deserve accountability for public money and subsequent decisions that put patients' lives at risk.

Ariss explains, "LHSC is part of the Ontario Hospital Association, which lobbied for four per cent funding increases to maintain hospital operations. That was announced as part of the provincial budget last week, so they have no excuse to move forward with these cuts."

ONA will continue to demand the provincial government for mandatory safe staffing ratios and hold health-care employers accountable for understaffing hospitals. Notes Ariss, "Mandatory staffing ratios are the best way to ensure safe working conditions for front-line staff and timely, high-quality patient care."

ONA is the union representing 68,000 health-care professionals, along with 18,000 nursing student affiliates, who provide care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, community settings, clinics, and industry.

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association

For more information: [email protected]