Relatives raise alarm over staffing at Oslo nursing home

Relatives of residents at Uranienborghjemmet in Oslo have warned authorities and politicians about staffing levels, response times and safety at the nursing home, Dagbladet reports.

Silje Viste Grønli says her father, who is paralysed on one side and uses a wheelchair, pressed his alarm for what felt like hours after waking with severe pain early one Sunday morning. When no one came, he tried to call the out-of-hours medical service but was unable to do so. His wife eventually reached him and ran to the nursing home from Frogner.

Grønli and other relatives believe the quality of care has declined since the private company Smartlegen A/S took over the operation in May 2025. They have sent a warning letter to Statsforvalteren in Oslo and Akershus and to several Oslo politicians.

According to the letter, staffing is too low, residents wait too long for help and it could be difficult to evacuate everyone in the event of a fire. The relatives also cite heavy use of temporary workers, residents being put to bed too early and inadequate food.

The nursing home has 98 places. Grønli says there were previously seven or eight staff members working nights at her father’s unit, compared with three now.

“This is not about the employees who work here. They really do everything they can with the resources they have, and they are absolutely fantastic,” Grønli told Dagbladet.

She says she has spoken to employees who chose to leave because they did not want to face situations in which they might have to choose which resident to help when only three people were on duty.

Grønli is also concerned about fire safety, particularly at night, because many residents use wheelchairs and live across several floors.

Smartlegen nursing home director Christine Elvenes said the company takes the concerns very seriously but does not recognise the description of a general failure in quality or patient safety.

“The management team is working together and with dedication to create a good working environment and safe conditions for employees, and to give our residents good moments and a safe everyday life,” Elvenes said.

Elvenes said the nursing home had reviewed its operations and identified areas for improvement, including communication, the implementation of new working models and quality work. She said measures had already been introduced.

According to figures provided by Elvenes, the average response time to night alarms from February to mid-June was 4.1 minutes, while 90 per cent of night alarms were answered within 10 minutes.

The Labour Party has called Oslo’s Conservative health councillor to a meeting over the warnings, Avisa Oslo reported on August 5.