Province reorganizing WRHA while health system groans under COVID’s weight

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This article was published 10/12/2021 (1703 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba is pushing ahead with a ‘challenging’ reorganization in Winnipeg’s health region as a backlog of more than 150,000 surgeries and medical procedures grows by the day and elderly patients are moved hundreds of kilometres from home to keep beds open for a COVID surge.

The changes mark the beginning of the next phase in the Progressive Conservative government’s health-system reforms, which have closed three of the city’s six hospital emergency departments and consolidated other services.

A letter confirming the process was going ahead, sent to Winnipeg Regional Health Authority staff Dec. 1 from CEO Mike Nader, was obtained by the Manitoba Liberals.

Leader Dougald Lamont said it’s both shocking and disappointing that the province is proceeding with its planned overhaul in the midst of clear and continuing strain on the overburdened system.

“It is incredible to me that the government is consenting to go ahead with these disruptive changes when they’ve been a complete and utter disaster up to this point,” Lamont said Thursday.

“It’s not just the pandemic that broke our health-care system, these so-called transformations broke our health-care system.”

Nader wrote that changes would include redesigning positions, consolidation of some programs, and the transition of select positions and services to Shared Health.

Departments that would be realigned included cardiac sciences, clinical health psychology, financial operations, and the renal program, among others.

“Even if you are not directly impacted, it’s important to be aware of these changes as the organizational and administrative structure of the WRHA will look different once this phase of transformation is complete,” Nader wrote.

“I have personally experienced these types of changes throughout my career, and I know how challenging it is,” the letter said. “We are continuing to work hard every day to address the COVID 19 pandemic and its impacts on our community and I understand that this comes at an already difficult time.”

The WRHA deferred comment to Manitoba Health, which issued a statement that called the shifts “an important step.”

“The goal of implementing a simplified, integrated and aligned health system structure is being better positioned to improve the quality, accessibility and efficiency of health-care services across all of Manitoba,” it said.

“Plans for implementing initiatives that enable broad health system improvements will continue but be reviewed and adjusted continuously relative to the health system’s COVID-19 response.”

Lamont said it’s unacceptable for the government to continue reorganization of the health system as strain due to the fourth wave of COVID-19 increases and the work of the surgical and diagnostic recovery task force has only just begun.

“We have burnout, we have people leaving the system in droves and this government isn’t pausing even for a moment to consider whether the damaging changes they’ve made is a part of the problem,” he said, calling for a halt to the process.

The province announced in January it would move forward with the second wave of the health system transformation blueprint.

At the time, then-health minister Heather Stefanson announced responsibility for Cadham Provincial Laboratory, Selkirk Mental Health Centre and the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba would be moved to Shared Health or another service-delivery organization, affecting about 1,200 employees.

According to the province, some 12,000 staff from across the health-care system moved to Shared Health in 2019, as part of the first-phase reforms.

— Staff