Q-and-A: In conversation with RIH administrator Tracey Rannie

Our hospitals work as a network and at times there are situations where patients need to be moved to alternate facilities to ensure that all patients get the care that they need in the right location. This is not an ideal situation for those impacted and we apologize that these steps had to be taken. These decisions aren’t made lightly; they are made in consultation with our pediatricians and with other physicians. The goal is safety of the mothers and children [as] the focus of our decision making.

If we are seeing wards get shut down due to staff calling in sick, how close are we to that line when it is only taking ‘X’ amount of calls for us to be in a position where we have to shut down wards?

We are experiencing staffing challenges — that’s not uncommon across health sectors and it’s also not uncommon across other health sectors as well. Interior Health is committed to taking every possible step to address the current staffing pressures here at Royal Inland Hospital.

This is a great community and we have great people. We live in a beautiful region, full of recreational activities and we highlight these during our recruitment efforts.

FIle Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

About how many nurses and how much more staff does Royal Inland need to get back to that full complement and be fully staffed again?

I don’t have a specific number; we do need to recruit. I would like to share that these teams are working really hard; we have a really dedicated staff. I really want to take a moment to say a big thank-you to the staff, physicians and leadership for their ongoing dedication not only to the site here but to one and other.

What are some of the main focuses of the recruitment process? How is recruitment going and are we moving towards hopefully bringing in new staff?

We work with our local post-secondary education institutions. We look for our new graduates. We look for creative ways to bring in folks. We use different mediums, for example, Facebook and LinkedIn and different ads like that. I think word of mouth is great and I think that’s something that the community can help us with.

Recruitment is one phase, but you have to work to protect the nurses that are there. We are hearing stories of burnout and fatigue. What is being done to help with the mental health of the nurses that are bearing this weight on their shoulders right now?

They are working hard. Really, right now we are spending time listening to them and working with them. Really taking the time to listen to their concerns. Really want to move the psych ward and really looking forward to the next few months as we move into the Gaglardi Tower.

Image Credit: Interior Health

We get messages from nurses — a lot of the time they are anonymous and they are letting us know about the staffing shortages and what they are seeing. Do you feel nurses should feel confident to be able speak out about their working conditions and what’s happening at the hospital?

I can’t speculate on how people want to share their ideas, but what I can come back to and I will continue to come back to is we have an incredible team. The community support is amazing and, again, a really big thank-you to the staff who come to work every single day.

Over the past weekend, we saw our first temporary closures at Royal Inland in certain wards. Should residents fear that this could be an ongoing issue until recruitment is completed?

I want to reassure that we have the emergency department that’s open 24/7. We will work — we always work hard. It’s not an easy decision when we have to close services. We work very, very hard to prevent that and the team is working really hard at recruitment because we know we need more staff.

We see hospitals in Clearwater, hospitals in Merritt where they have to fully shut down for evenings sometimes due to staffing shortages. Are we close to reaching at point here in the Kamloops area with Royal Inland?

We work as a network with our other hospitals. We work to maintain services. When there are challenges to those services we do look to alternate facilities to ensure patients can get the care they need in the right location. That’s the advantage of having this region and working as a network.

Are there certain wards that are seeing more effects from the shortages?

Staffing fluctuates and it depends on a variety of different things. I think there are challenges through many areas, that’s why our recruitment effort is broad. We are looking for all types of nurses to come join our team. But, it’s not only nurses, it’s other healthcare disciplines as well.

File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

Public confidence in Royal Inland has dipped a little bit. What is going to be done to make sure people feel confident that when they roll into their local hospital, they are going to get the care they need, they are not going to have to worry about getting transferred, they are going to get the care they need in their own community?

Our hospitals work as a network and due to various situations, sometimes we do have to move people to other facilities. The emergency department is open and we will work with all the teams, patients and families.

We do our best to ensure we don’t have to do temporary closures like last weekend. We really work hard to prevent them.

(CFJC) was speaking with a doctor in the emergency department, Dr. Haywood-Farmer. He spoke to some of the issues in emergency, saying that in some cases it might be time to start diverting some of those emergency cases because he said they just can’t provide the same care in that department that they could a few years back. What do you say to those comments?

We do have staffing challenges, just like across the healthcare system. We are committed to taking every possible step to address those current pressure here at Royal Inland Hospital and work with our networks of hospitals to provide the best care for our patients.

We understand a lot of what has been done locally is the day surgeries, the ones where people can get in and out quickly because there isn’t bed space for some of those longer surgeries that may require someone to stay in hospital a day or a week after it’s completed. Is that because we don’t have the bed space or because we don’t have the nurses to staff those beds to help bring those people in who have been waiting a long time?

It’s probably a combination of several different reasons. Sometimes it’s site congestion, so that’s access to a bed, sometimes it can be a staffing challenge. Moving forward, we are really looking forward to moving into the new tower with increasing an operating theatre. And having more space and great rooms for patients and families.

At what point to we maybe declare an emergency at Royal Inland and bring in outside resources to bolster the issue?

The team is working very hard on all theses issues and we try to avoid any service disruptions at all cost. We know its inconvenient for patients and families but the goal is to maintain patient safety. The teams work incredibly hard every single day to improve the situation here at Royal Inland Hospital.

by Michael Reeve

Q-and-A: In conversation with RIH administrator Tracey Rannie

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