Interior Health eliminating 91 administrative positions following financial review

Weir – who replaced Susan Brown in June – announced the cuts in a Sept. 4 email to staff, a copy of which was obtained by CFJC Today. The health authority says the changes are part of an administrative review and not linked to a provincial review of health authority spending that launched in March.

In early August, the Provincial Health Services Authority cut 57 employees and eliminated 61 vacant positions as part of that provincial review, while Island Health cut 117 non-union jobs in late July. Fraser Health also made job cuts in late August though it hadn’t confirmed details saying the process was still underway.

It’s not clear where in Interior Health these affected employees are located. The health authority spans 216,000 square kilometres from Williams Lake in the north to the U.S. border in the south, and from Kleena Kleene in the Chilcotin east to the Alberta border.

“There is no impact to patient care and services,” Weir added in the statement to CFJC. “These organizational changes are being implemented at the administrative level while Interior Health remains focused on the delivery of high-quality front-line care.”

“Interior Health will come through this process stronger and better positioned to navigate the growing demands on health care, in a more financially sustainable manner.”

‘No Longer In a Period of Budget Growth’

In her email, Weir said the 21 impacted excluded positions are “primarily project roles coming from transformation teams whose work has largely been completed and, therefore, are being integrated into clinical operations.”

She also told staff that Interior Health is “no longer in a period of budget growth” and so it has to make changes “to support financial sustainability [by] prioritizing front-line services.”

“Since January, Interior Health Senior Executive Team has been reviewing our financial position to help IH meet our commitments,” Weir wrote. “Opportunities for streamlining have been identified by leadership.”

“Some of the changes we’ve decided on address feedback we’ve heard from staff and move us towards a more sustainable model…while continuing to deliver high-quality front-line care.”

Weir also noted that the alternative placement options offered to affected unionized employees were done in areas where there are ongoing needs. It’s not clear what those areas or needs are.

“We acknowledge there may be some individuals who we could not place or have chosen not to stay with IH, and we acknowledge them and are deeply grateful for their contributions,” Weir wrote in her email.

She went on to say this “fresh, critical look” at how Interior Health will do its business will continue, and that any future consolidation and movement of services will be “directly tied to an intention to support our front-line clinicians and the physicians with whom we work.”

“I know this news will bring many questions, particularly among those teams impacted,” Weir wrote, noting more details about these organizational changes will be shared with employees in the near future.

Weir also hinted at additional changes being made on an as needed basis.

“My continued commitment is to listen to staff, work to create change that will support you, provide honest, timely information, and demonstrate the utmost compassion for everyone impacted,” she said.

“I am confident we will come through this process stronger and better positioned to navigate the growing demands on health care.”

Editors note: A previous version of this story said the changes were linked to the provincial review of health authority spending. Interior Health later clarified that it had launched its own administrative review ahead of the provincial one.

by Victor Kaisar

Interior Health eliminating 91 administrative positions following financial review

‘No Longer In a Period of Budget Growth’

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