Staff at Barcelona’s CAP la Sagrera primary care centre are warning of a severe workload crisis, citing rising patient numbers and insufficient staffing. Trade unions say the exponential growth in the neighbourhood’s population has led to reduced consultation times and less accurate diagnoses.
The centre opened in 2006, when around 29,000 people lived in La Sagrera. Today, the population is approximately 40,000. Despite this 38% increase, no significant expansion in medical or administrative staff has followed. Carolina Martón, delegate for the Intersindical union, said doctors, nurses, social workers, and administrative staff are all experiencing unsustainable pressure, with administrative teams under the greatest strain.
Union representatives say the lack of new hires has pushed staff to breaking point. "We live with anxiety, with mental health problems, taking medication every day," they stated. The unions blame systemic understaffing for eroding both worker wellbeing and patient care quality.
Patients Report Delays and Lost Results
Patients are also affected. Nati, a local resident, described a distressing experience: "I underwent a colonoscopy and for a month nobody knew where the results were. I ended up finding them myself and unfortunately they indicated the early stages of cancer."
Such incidents have prompted calls for urgent improvements. A demonstration is scheduled for Tuesday 27th October, in which affected staff and users will participate to demand additional resources.
Neighbourhood Groups and Workers Unite
In parallel, initial meetings have taken place between health workers and local community organisations. Their goal is to form a joint working group to strengthen advocacy efforts and press the Catalan Health Institute (ICS) for more support.
"We live with anxiety, with mental health problems, taking medication every day."
ICS Rejects Criticism
The ICS, which manages public health centres in Catalonia, denies any impact on care quality. It claims the issues raised stem from internal organisational matters among staff and do not affect user access or the standard of care provided at CAP la Sagrera.
Reported by beteve.cat, betevé.
