BCHS on 'right track'
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The Brant Community Healthcare System is on the right track but still has work to do, the system’s new president and CEO says.
“That’s what people have been telling me,” David McNeil said. “A lot of the people I’ve spoken to say things at the health-care system are better….
“But there still is a feeling with some that were standing still and we have to work to address that.”
The BCHS operates the Brantford General Hospital and the Willett Urgent Care Clinic in Paris, employing more than 1,400 people. Since September 2017, it has been under the direction of supervisor Bonnie Adamson, who was appointed by the province after an investigator’s report found, among other things, an “unacceptable failure on both governance and leadership” at BCHS.
Following Adamson’s appointment, Jim Hornell, the president and CEO, was relieved of his duties and the system’s board of directors was dissolved.
Since Adamson’s appointment a lot has changed at BCHS. A new board has been formed with former Brant County CAO Paul Emerson as chair and McNeil was hired as the new president and CEO.
McNeil started work just before Christmas and has spent the first three months learning about the system and the people who make it work.
McNeil called his first three months on the job “90 days of listening.”
In an interview this week, he spoke to The Expositor about what he has learned since taking on his new role.
“We have a lot of dedicated people — staff and volunteers — who care very deeply about their hospital and physicians who provide state-of-the-art care,” McNeil said.
He said the care is being provided despite “capacity challenges” faced by the hospital.
“Typically, we’re operating at 105 or 110 per cent capacity,” McNeil said. “We’re extremely busy.
“The emergency department has seen an increase in the number of patients and a large number of those patients are high acuity – they are very sick.”
As a result, the BCHS, like most other hospital’s across the province, must practice what is commonly called hallway medicine.
The BCHS is looking to work with community partners to help with the transition of patients from the hospital to their homes or other forms of community care, McNeil said.
He also noted that plans to expand and improve the BGH emergency room have been developed and are working their way through the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s approval process.
The provincial government just over a year ago, announced plans to improve both the emergency department and mental health care at BGH.
Plans call for the existing emergency room to be renovated and expanded. In 2017, the emergency room had more than 54,000 visits.
Meanwhile, improvements to the mental health department in the form of improved security are underway.
In addition to governance and leadership issues, BCHS has had to find ways of slaying a $7.4-million budget deficit.
“I can say that we’ve made significant progress on the deficit,” McNeil said. “But we’re not out of the woods yet.”
Further details about BCHS finances will be available when the board of directors meets on March 27, he said.
McNeil said that other priorities, moving forward include, strategic planning including identifying capital priorities as well as making the organization more culturally sensitive to the needs of Indigenous people.
This is the age of reconciliation and the healthcare system is taking steps to ensure Indigenous patients feel comfortable when they visit the hospital.
In terms of strategic planning, BCHS officials will be seeking input from the community to help determine where the healthcare system should be in five to 10 years.
A graduate of the Laurentian University nursing program, McNeil earned a master’s degree in health administration at the University of Ottawa and his PhD in rural and northern health at Laurentian.
He started his career as a nurse before moving into administration and leadership positions.
Prior to coming to BCHS, McNeil was the senior vice-president with responsibility for patient experience and digital transformation at Health Sciences North in Sudbury. He previously served as the organization’s vice-president and chief nursing officer.
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