The eight former nurses at the heart of possible strike action at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital claim that patient care is being jeopardised since the implementation of a new management programme.

In a leaflet distributed to hospital staff this week, the eight say that various departments within the hospital have been short-staffed ever since the new management structure was introduced last year.

And in a stinging condemnation of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, the eight say they were offered a derisory pension package or asked to fill newly-created posts that could not be justified, after they failed to secure programme managers posts at the hospital. It is understood that four of the eight are demanding a redundancy pay-off from the hospital.

The statement, which lists all eight former staff by name, says: "Nurses and personnel in other departments are working short-staffed since the implementation of Programme Management.

"However, committees are not addressing this, which jeopardises the welfare of the patient. Instead they are addressing issues such as changing uniform colours.

"We were placed on administrative leave `until the issue is solved'. No definite time frame was stated. No positions were offered at that time.

However, we were asked to formulate new positions. The strategic plan was not globally known and remains unknown. The BHB has shown their lack of good faith by discontinuing our salaries.

"Each one of us has demonstrated our long term commitment to the BHB and to quality patient care. However, we have been stripped of our positions and have been asked to take positions that under-utilise our skills and further jeopardises patient care.

"Never, in the history of the BHB has there been such a broken spirit and a threat to staff expertise and conscientiousness.'' The leaflet also listed what it claimed was a catalogue of inconsistencies in the way project managers were appointed and also insisted that the Board's agreed redundancy policy was applicable to their position.

The outburst is bound to anger both the Bermuda Hospitals Board and the Bermuda Public Services Association, which is representing the eight former staff.

Patient care `under threat' Last Thursday the BPSA presented the Bermuda Hospitals Board with an ultimatum, saying that, unless progress was made in the dispute within a week, a 21 day notice to start industrial action would be issued.

Since then both sides have maintained a vow of silence, refusing to speak to the Press on how talks between the two camps have been progressing. However, a joint statement from both parties on the outcome of the week-long talks is expected to be made later today.

Last night BPSA General Secretary Ed Ball said: "I haven't seen the leaflet but I have heard about it. It is not the BPSA's position but, other than that I have no comment to make. I cannot talk on these matters while negotiations are still in progress.'' Despite the public rebuke of the Board's actions, one of the eight nurses, who did not wish to be named, last night said she was confident that the dispute over the eight was being resolved.

But she added that, because there were still other staff concerns, such as a lack of morale and poor communications between management and staff, strike action could still not be ruled out.

"Our dispute is being resolved but there are other issues,'' the staff member said.

A spokeswoman for the Bermuda Hospitals Board declined to comment on the leaflet but said that negotiations were `moving forward'.