While touting some recent successes, the Chief of Staff for Quinte Health says staffing pressures continue to take place at key departments at hospitals across the Quinte region.
In his report, Dr. Colin MacPherson says they are feeling staffing pressures at Belleville General Hospital and North Hastings Emergency Departments as well as in Family Medicine.
Dr. MacPherson says that at the emergency department at Belleville General Hospital, there is only one physician during peak hours rather than two.
Quinte Health is also relying “heavily” on the provincial Emergency Department Locum Program to support the Northumberland Hills emergency department, requiring them to work more and longer shifts.
Continuing in his report, Dr. MacPherson says recruiting Family Medicine Hospitalists continues to be challenging. Upcoming retirements at BGH, as well as Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital, will create more pressure on the system.
Some of the highlights as far as addressing the issues of staffing include hiring two new Internal Medicine physicians in 2023 with two more scheduled to begin in the coming months.
Also highlighted were hires in other fields including Pathology, OB-GYN, Radiology, Emergency and Anaesthesia.
Quinte Health says since April 1, it has hired a total of 266 new staff members, including 95 nurses and 83 other clinical staff.
The focus is to recruit students and residents and have them ‘learn and stay with Quinte’ as well as support more internationally-educated people to join the team.
When it comes to international hires, Quinte Health says 15 new staff members as well as two physicians have joined Quinte Health with another three physicians confirmed to start at a later date.
