WRHA employee survey paints picture of dissatisfaction

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This article was published 31/07/2019 (2269 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg health-care workers are largely unsatisfied with their pay, staffing levels and senior management, according to a recent internal study.

In January, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority received the results of its annual employee engagement survey, conducted between October and November 2018.

About 50 per cent of WRHA staff responded, which was an 11 per cent decline since the last survey, conducted in 2016. The provincial NDP obtained its results through a freedom of information request.

Of the approximately 11,500 workers surveyed, about 68 per cent of respondents said staffing levels weren’t sufficient for proper patient care, and about 65 per cent said they didn’t find WRHA senior leadership effective.

Seventy-three per cent of respondents disagreed the WRHA was a better organization within 12 months of its system changes, while 67 per cent said they weren’t excited about the changes underway.

The staff responses came during the throes of Manitoba’s “Healing our Health System” overhaul, which has restructured Winnipeg hospitals, shifting from six emergency rooms to three and converting three former ERs into urgent care centres.

NDP MLA Matt Wiebe decried the Pallister government’s full-steam-ahead approach, considering the WRHA employees’ dismal reviews.

“This survey shows very clearly what we’ve been hearing anecdotally from front-line workers and from WRHA staff, and that is that they’re dissatisfied with the way the WRHA is being managed. They’re concerned about the staff levels, they’re concerned about being able to do their jobs and, ultimately, we know that means that patient care is going to suffer,” Wiebe said Wednesday.

“The government had access to this information. They knew that this was the case, and instead they pushed ahead with their plan, even though it’s creating this chaos and it’s impacting patient care.”

Health Minister Cameron Friesen responded in a prepared statement, noting the WRHA system changes are intended to deliver better health-care results and shorter wait times for Manitobans. He emphasized the changes have been challenging, especially for front-line staff, but also necessary.

The Tory MLA also noted emergency and urgent care wait times are increasingly coming in lower than they did under the former NDP government.

“We remain committed to working with clinical leadership as we continue our work in transforming a health system into one both patients and staff can be proud of,” Friesen said.

The WRHA declined a request to interview president and chief executive officer Réal Cloutier. It also responded with a prepared statement.

“Since 2017, we have been making the largest changes to our health-care system in a generation,” spokesman Cory Kolt said. “Change on this scale inevitably creates challenges and disruption at times, and we are seeing the impact of this reflected in the annual employee survey.

“It is important to recognize the compassion and commitment of our physicians, nurses and staff, who have all continued to provide outstanding patient care throughout our health system transformation.”

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @_jessbu