Ongoing transformation of Restigouche Hospital Centre producing results
Campbellton, Thursday, April 11, 2019 – Vitalité Health Network remains proactive in its project to transform the Restigouche Hospital Centre (RHC) into a modern facility delivering high quality specialized mental health care services. “The organization is hard at work making the necessary changes – and improvements can already be seen,” explained Gilles Lanteigne, President and CEO of the Network.
New initiatives impacting the safety and quality of care
The Network reminds people that the transformation process began well before the recent publication of the New Brunswick Ombud’s report. “We publicly announced our intention to reform the facility back in January 2017. This is an ambitious objective that may take at least five years to complete, but we can see our efforts bearing fruit and that we’re on the right path,” Mr. Lanteigne stated.
Over the past two weeks, two RHC units have started holding “safety huddles.” These short, structured meetings are held daily at the start of shifts. Thanks to these meetings, employees are better able to plan their day and are more aware of issues that may impact safety within the unit. “We are already seeing the positive effects of these meetings,” explained Jill Doucet, Program Manager at the Forensic Psychiatry Unit – Evaluation. “They are improving safety for patients and employees as well as the quality of care and are promoting teamwork.” Safety huddles will be rolled out to all RHC units in the coming weeks.
Increase in number of hours of care and consolidation of human resources
The Network is also highlighting recent progress made within the medical sector of the RHC. Thanks to collaboration by our psychiatrists, patients are now benefiting from more hours of daily care, namely approximately 80 additional hours per week. And the Network is pursuing its recruitment efforts, having signed a letter of understanding with a forensic psychiatrist who is scheduled to arrive in 2020. The Network is also in the process of hiring two other psychiatrists interested in joining the RHC’s staff.
The Network remains focused on its RHC transformation project and is confident of success. According to the President and CEO, similar transformations have been successfully undertaken elsewhere in Canada. “The transformation process that the RHC has been engaged in for the past 28 months is unprecedented in the recent history of New Brunswick health care,” Mr. Lanteigne concluded.
