In January 2022, in response to a critical nursing shortage at SBGHC, Brockton Council hired CD Consulting to explore the reasons for the shortage and offer recommendations to address the situation. Consultant Carol De Rosie is a graduate of Queen’s University, a registered nurse herself, and she has extensive experience on “staff engagement, conflict resolution, health workplaces, and leadership, predominantly in the health care field”.
A very thorough investigation informed the consultant’s report which was completed by February 16th and presented to Bruce County Council’s executive committee on April 21st, 2022.
The directive from Brockton Council made clear their expectation the process was expected to include input and cooperation from the SBGHC management group, “in particular the CEO, Michael Barrett”. The final report under the heading ‘Methodology” provides a very thorough list of others who were interviewed and consulted. Some would be considered subject matter experts in the health care and labour fields and others provided a local perspective (nurses presently and previously employed by SBGHC, local politicians, doctors, and patients to name a few).
The recommendations put forward by the De Rosie report include 48 ideas to address three main identified areas: “retention, lack of respect – workload issues, and recruitment”. The extensive list of suggestions is intended to answer the critical situation of ER closures within this organization and lead to the immediate reinstatement of full ER services in the Walkerton and Chesley hospitals.
So, the report is entitled “Critical Nursing Shortage at South Bruce Grey Health Centre: Multi-site”. The report with all of its valuable information and recommendations has been available for over a year. How many of those informed recommendations have been implemented by the management team? Where is the report now? Is it being implemented or has it been filed? What part of “critical” is not being understood? Walkerton Hospital has been able to return to full ER services, but when will there be a full- time ER again in Chesley? These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered…and answered now.