After more than two weeks of being closed, Island Health is working to find enough staff to reopen the West Coast General’s ICU “as soon as possible”.
The three-bed intensive care unit has been closed since Nov. 20, when leading physicians at the hospital determined that shutting down the ICU was necessary to ensure safe care for patients at the medical facility in Port Alberni. Since then, those who need the life-support of an ICU have been relocated by ground or air to another hospital once they are stabilized at West Coast General.
As of Dec. 9, 13 patients have been redirected to other sites who would otherwise be admitted to the West Coast General ICU. This is an average of less than one ICU patient a day, with most going to the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Before the Port Alberni ICU closed, approximately 30 per cent of intensive care patients were already being transported to other facilities for a higher level of care.
“The reason for the temporary ICU diversion is a shortage of specialty-trained ICU nurses and physicians,” said Josie Osborne, Mid Island-Pacific Rim MLA and B.C.’s minster of Health, in a social media post. “After discussions with medical leadership at WCGH, Island Health determined that temporary measures were needed to ensure patients could continue to receive safe care.”
West Coast General’s Emergency Department sees an average of over 50 patients a day, but the Intensive Care Unit typically took in about one person every two days, says Osborne. Still, Island Health states it is undertaking a list of initiatives to get the ICU back open.
“Physicians who work in the ICU (Internal Medicine Group) have already identified what they need to support critical care, and those requests are underway – including ordering specialized equipment and adding more support staff,” wrote Island Health in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa.
The health authority is offering “significant” signing bonuses for nurses to work in the ICU and Emergency Department, and the hospital is being prioritized to secure travel nurses to fill vacancies. A targeted marketing campaign is underway to lure health professionals from the United States, and key WCGH roles are being advertised on social media, according to Island Health. Funding has been approved for a nursing unit assistant to support and coordinate patient care at the ICU and ED, while a respiratory therapist will be available virtually for overnight shifts.
Also following the list of needs set out by the ICU physicians, a lab analyzer has been ordered and will be installed once it arrives.
“Island Health’s local team are closely monitoring physician coverage, particularly over the upcoming Christmas period when staffing challenges can be greater,” said Osborne. “When gaps appear, Island Health uses multiple strategies to fill shifts, including sending urgent messages to a large network of physicians.”
In January Osborne plans to hold a large meeting with health-care partners, local leaders, First Nations and Alberni Valley community organizations to discuss how to ensure a stable workforce in the future.
“Losing our ICU even temporarily has sharpened our focus on collaboratively developed solutions in the coming months and years,” she added. “We cannot rely solely on others to recruit new health care workers, it’s vital that we who know our community best make sure we are actively participating in finding, welcoming, and supporting health care workers who make the move to the Alberni Valley.”
Amid the region-wide alarm sparked last month by the sudden closure of the Intensive Care Unit, the Osborne pointed to the province-wide shortage of health care workers. A review launched last March to find efficiencies in the system is still underway, and this month the province announced that findings from this assessment will reduce administrative work in favour of prioritizing front-line services. Surveys of over 15,000 health care workers across B.C. have led the province to consolidate administrative and corporate services in regional health authorities and the Provincial Health Services Authority into a new organization.
Since March 1,100 administrative positions have been cut, which is expected to save $60 million annually that can be reinvested into front-line care.
“The changes will remove bottlenecks, reduce redundancies, improve supports and create more consistency and co-ordination throughout the system at a lower cost,” stated the Ministry of Health in a press release. “It will also encourage innovation and the sharing of ideas that strengthen B.C.’s health system.”
Meanwhile, patients from Port Alberni to Vancouver Island’s many west coast communities who need ICU care will continue to be transported to other hospitals on the east side of the island. A reopening timeline for the West Coast General ICU has yet to be disclosed.
“As part of the focused work underway to respond to the situation at WCGH, we are making all efforts to transfer patients from the region back to WCGH as quickly as possible once they no longer require ICU-level care and are stable enough for a transfer,” said Island Health.
