Physicians who work in the emergency room (ER) at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) are expressing frustration and disappointment at a lengthy statement issued by Interior Health (IH) CEO Susan Brown amid a health care crisis.
“I thought my phone was going to explode this morning,” said Dr. Jeff Eppler, an emergency doctor. “We’re all deeply offended by this assertion; we think it’s ungrounded.”
On Monday, Brown issued a lengthy, two-page statement as an op-ed, saying, in part, “I have heard some concerns about culture in the Emergency and Pediatrics Departments and I share those concerns. I’ve also seen behaviour that is unproductive and not in alignment with the values of IH – quality, integrity, compassion and safety.”
While Brown did not clarify who is exhibiting such behaviour, ER physicians say they are insulted.
“Just questioning our integrity, our compassion and the quality of care we deliver…we provide very high quality care, in my view, and our department works very hard,” Eppler said.
“This kind of leadership is very counterproductive to that, and … we all feel thrown under the bus. To have some vague assertions in the media is not the way to build relationships, not the way to build trust.”
While Eppler acknowledged that leading a health authority is no easy job, he says the physicians felt compelled to speak out in the wake of Brown’s statement.
“I think being a health-care administrator is one of the toughest jobs around but at the same time, I feel we … had to go to media just to express our dissatisfaction and really our unhappiness with this statement,” Eppler went on to say. “I feel this is not how a real leader should operate.”
Doctors have publicly called the crisis predictable, blaming it on IH mismanagement and a culture of silencing longtime concerns of front-line staff including requests by doctors to have more than one specialty physician on shift at a time.
Instead, doctors have had to cover multiple areas at once while sacrificing patient care, which led many to resign.
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The crisis has resulted in a six-week-long closure of the pediatric ward, possibly longer. The 10-bed unit closed on May 26.
“Let’s be clear, the current gaps in pediatric coverage have nothing to do with the emergency department, but they affect us more than anybody, other than the patients and their families,” Eppler said.
The maternity clinic at the hospital has also been impacted and is no longer accepting patients.
“Let me be clear,” Brown wrote. “I remain committed to listening to front-line staff and leaders and understanding how our leadership team can better support them in delivering high-quality, team-based care.”
She added she and her team have participated in dozens of meetings with leaders and physicians at KGH to better understand the issues that resulted in the difficult decision to temporarily change pediatric services.
The statement, however, does not address one of the key concerns expressed by the pediatricians, which includes the current staffing model.
Brown also used the statement as opportunity to take aim at the media.
“I continue to hear sensationalized misinformation in the media and beyond, but I want our community to know that KGH is, and continues to be, a priority for me and IH,” Brown stated.
B.C.’s opposition party is urging the province’s health minister to pay KGH and its staff an immediate visit to get a first-hand understanding of the circumstances that have resulted in the hospital crisis.
“The minister of health has not set foot in KGH as minister,” said Gavin Dew, Conservative MLA for Kelowna-Mission.
“I want Minister of Health, Josie Osborne, to show up and to listen direct and unfiltered to the frontline health-care professionals who are ringing the alarm and who are feeling unheard. At the end of the day, the buck stops with the minister of health.”
In an email to Global News, Osborne did not commit to a visit to KGH, stating, “Politicizing this issue is not constructive. It’s crucial that we focus on finding solutions, especially in challenging situations like this. Interior Health leadership is meeting directly with physicians at Kelowna General Hospital to discuss and work through these issues.”
Dew, along with fellow Conservative MLAs, Kristina Loewen for Kelowna-Centre and Macklin McCall for West Kelowna-Peachland, will be hosting a ‘Kelowna Health Care Crisis Town Hall’ on July 2 to hear from the community.
The town hall will take place between 5 and 7 p.m., but the location has yet to be announced.
Those planning to attend are encouraged to register on the KGH Crisis Website to help determine an appropriate venue. Organizers are extending the invitation to the health minister.
Brown is set to retire in December. The Conservatives have been calling on the health minister to fast-track the leadership transition to allow a new head of IH to start tackling the crisis.
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