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HOSPITALS
Mr. Chairman,
The current account estimates for Head 24 – Hospitals can be found beginning on
page B‐154 of the Estimates Book.
These estimates reflect grants and subsidies provide to the Bermuda Hospitals
Board:
(A) To pay the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) for one hundred
percent of the hospitalization cost for children and the indigent, seventy percent
of the cost of patients between the ages of sixty‐five and seventy‐five years of
age, and eighty percent of the cost of care for patients over the age of seventy‐
five years; and
(B) To fund the net cost of operating the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI).
2014/2015 ESTIMATES
The estimates for 2014/2015 are shown on page B‐154 and amount to a figure of
$146.835 million, an increase of $5.491 million or 4% from the original estimate
for the prior year of $141.344 million.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
2014‐2015 BUDGET BRIEF
HEAD24
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A subsidy of $109.491 million has been allocated to pay for the billed acute care
services of the Young, Aged, Indigent and Geriatric at the King Edward VII
Memorial Hospital.
The Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute is provided with a grant of $37.344 million,
which is the same budget provided in 2013/14.
Mr. Chairman, the issue of ensuring affordable, quality and safe healthcare
services for the people of Bermuda extends beyond the Bermuda Hospitals Board
alone, it requires an efficient collaborative system that focuses on the patient.
The costs impact not just Government, but individuals and businesses in Bermuda
through private insurance premiums and individual payments.
Under review and debate today is the budget set aside to pay for claims incurred
by those who are eligible for subsidy, and the grant for the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness
Institute. However, the ability to control this budget has to be viewed as part of
Bermuda’s healthcare system.
The Budget Book, as the Honorable Members of the House will know from
previous years, has not always provided a detailed breakdown of costs for the
hospital subsidy. This is because the Government has not actively managed the
claims submitted by the Bermuda Hospitals Board. It simply pays the bills for the
acute care services used by those eligible for coverage from the hospital subsidy
budget line, and pays a lump sum grant for the mental health, learning disability
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and substance abuse services provided from the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute.
Funding provided by the Government represents about 60% of the Bermuda
Hospitals Board’s total revenue.
Prior to the fiscal year 12/13, a “geriatric subsidy” was also used to pay for
Continuing Care Unit fees, even though this was not a legislated requirement. In
12/13 the Bermuda Hospitals Board was informed that the geriatric subsidy
would no longer be paid in this way. A budget for the hospitals subsidy would be
provided to be used first for the legislated remit of acute care services used by
the youth, aged and indigent. The subsidy is paid in twelve equal installments
over the course of the fiscal year, and bills and payments are reconciled
throughout the year. If the services used do not exceed the subsidy budget, the
balance will be paid as a grant towards the Continuing Care Unit service.
Mr. Chairman
In recognition of the burden this put on the Bermuda Hospitals Board, and
because this Government remains committed to ensuring our seniors in the
Continuing Care Unit are supported, a $10 million grant was awarded to pay for
residents of the Continuing Care Unit this year, for care provided in the last fiscal
year, 2012‐13. This does not cover the total cost, but ensures a sharing of the
burden. A grant of $10 million is also being recommended as part of the budget
today.
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Mr. Chairman,
This is not the only pressure the Bermuda Hospitals Board has had to manage this
year. Hard decisions have had to be made by Government in managing the public
purse and the national debt. In this fiscal year, Government decided not to raise
fees 1% above inflation as a contribution towards the new acute care wing, and
there was no inflationary fee uplift. Even so, the actual spend for hospital subsidy
was almost $115.5 million.
In the upcoming 2014/15 fiscal year, if the benefits provided under the subsidy
programme remained the same, we were anticipating needing more than $117
million. Given the very real need to reduce spending from the Consolidated Fund
by at least 7%, such an increase in subsidy was not possible. In order to meet the
budget reduction target for the entire Ministry, savings were found throughout
the Government Departments, but we also had to target the Government
subsidies.
As I explained earlier, Mr. Chairman, currently the Government subsidizes 80%
and 90% of the Standard Hospital Benefit (SHB) costs for seniors aged over 65 and
75, respectively. The change we will be making is to reduce the subsidy level to
70% and 80%, respectively. The impact of this change is two‐fold:
First, it transfers more of the SHB costs from the Consolidated Fund to the insured
population. Insurance plans with a high concentration of seniors such as GEHI
and FutureCare will be impacted more by this change, as they will no longer
benefit as much from the subsidy. However, the impact on seniors is minimized
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because the premium continues to be community rated, so the cost of claims is
spread across the population.
Second, the reduction in subsidy levels results in significant budget savings for the
Government, amounting to $8 million. Given the current fiscal space, this has
been a necessary measure. Consequently, rather than having to budget $117
million for subsidy, you will note that the budget has been reduced to $109.5
million.
The latest, unaudited financial figures from January 2014 for the Bermuda
Hospitals Board demonstrate the impact of these pressures and of the changing
healthcare landscape. Year to date revenues are about $1.9 million lower than
had been budgeted, at just over $239 million.
A significant portion of this has been from outpatient revenue, which was $3.6
million under budget. Inpatient services were about $2.8 million over budget.
Expenses are, unfortunately, about 1.2% higher than budgeted, at $232 million.
Some of this relates to salaries and employee benefits, which is 3.1% ahead of
budget, and the cost of general supplies which is 14% ahead of budget, both of
which are directly related to the level of services being requested and provided.
Repairs, maintenance and other operating expenses are being well managed by
staff and are generally in line with the budgets set. This has left the Bermuda
Hospitals Board in a loss position of about minus (‐)2.3 % compared to a net
margin of plus (+)2.0% last year.
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Another impact has been the rejection of non‐legislated claims by Government.
Government subsidies only cover legislated fees, and an improved Government
system has identified a number of codes that were not legislated for over the last
few years. When an insurer rejects a claim, the Bermuda Hospitals Board
generates a bill that goes to the individual. This has the unfortunate impact on
the individual, who might not be aware that a service they need, or have been
referred for, is not covered by Government insurance. Both Government and the
Bermuda Hospitals Board apologize to these individuals for this. Even with the
efforts that were made last year to align the BHB’s Charge Master with the Fees
Regulations, we are still finding that charges are being made that are not in the
fee schedule. This is being worked on by both parties at this time – both teams
have the focus of ensuring important services for the country must be covered for
patients. It raises serious questions that further require us to ask whether the
funding for our hospitals work. Individuals who have received bills should contact
the Bermuda Hospitals Board Credit Department who will work with them on a
payment plan that minimizes the financial impact on them.
Giving some background to these figures, the latest year‐to‐date information to
the end of December 2013 shows that total length of stay has gone down slightly
from 9.3 to 9.0 days. This includes patients, often seniors, in acute beds who are
no longer acutely ill, but do not have a safe placement where they can be
discharged. Length of stay for truly acute patients tends to be lower. Total
Emergency Department figures from 1 April 2013 to 31 December 2013 show a
reduction of 2,000 visits from 30,176 at the end of 2012 compared to 28,109 in
2013. There was no corresponding change in urgent care center figures at this
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time, indicating that the drop is not related to there being an alternative provider.
Outpatient surgeries reduced from 4,831 to 4,279 which would have contributed
to the drop experienced in outpatient revenue.
We are all having to feel the pain of the economic times, and our hospitals are no
different. However, the welfare of the Bermuda Hospitals Board is important to
the country. The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid‐Atlantic Wellness
Institute are our only hospitals. The Ministry‐appointed Chair and Board have
therefore been working with the senior management team and staff exceedingly
hard to establish an accountable, efficient operation. The Board has a mandate to
ensure fiscal responsibility and developing services to meet the country’s need
and good progress is being made. I am, therefore, very pleased to now provide
an account of how the Bermuda Hospitals Board is seeking to establish a safe,
quality service that is financially sustainable, through the work undertaken this
year and the goals planned for next.
Financial Overview
Mr. Chairman, the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s primary focus is on the patient and
ensuring safe and quality service. However, the most pressing issues faced by the
Board this year have been related to finance and governance. The Bermuda
Hospitals Board is facing a deficit position going forward, if action is not taken.
While I will be moving onto the solutions being put in place, the most pressing
question that is asked is how did the Bermuda Hospitals Board end up in this
situation? Quite simply, where did all the money go?
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I would first like to pay tribute to the current Board, which has made every effort
to make as much information possible available to the community since it was
appointed early in 2013. The Bermuda Hospitals Board has openly discussed its
financial position in public and released regular information with regards to the
pressures it is facing. It has made public the summaries of two KPMG reports that
reviewed the impact of revenue caps and the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s ability to
meet the financial obligations of the acute care wing when it opens later in 2014.
It also released summaries of a review of physician compensation, which
recommended how to ensure physician contracts were fair, equitable and in the
best interests of patients. The Clinical and Corporate Governance Review was
made fully public and made numerous recommendations to strengthen the
governance framework. Also issued was the Ombudsman’s review of the review.
Finally a synopsis of the Audit Review, recommended by the Auditor General, was
made public in October.
What we have learned is that the perception that the Bermuda Hospitals Board
has grown significantly over the last seven years is an accurate one. Annual
revenues grew from $234 million to $315 million between 2009 and 2013. During
this time period, a new billing system for inpatient care was introduced based on
diagnosis rather than a per diem rate, outpatient revenues rose by 10‐13% year
on year, the number of services offered by the hospitals in Bermuda went up and
the number of employed physicians increased. More specialties were established
on‐island, quality improved as did patient satisfaction, but so did costs. This has
not just been a hospital issue. While a 50% increase in revenue over four years is
highly significant, it is important to note that private and overseas costs rose at a
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similar rate. The Bermuda Hospitals Board has accounted for over 40% of the
health care market for many years and this has not changed. It currently stands
at 44%, according to the latest Bermuda Health Council figures. This stresses that
it is a whole island problem, not just the Bermuda Hospitals Board. As the only
hospitals on island the Bermuda Hospitals Board is always going to make up a
significant portion of costs; trying to squeeze that piece alone, however, does not
address the overall increase of the healthcare spend in Bermuda.
The issue that is causing the Bermuda Hospitals Board the most pain, however, is
that while it grew revenues and services, costs also escalated. Total salary costs
grew from $133 million in 2009 to $194 million in 2013, an increase of about 47%.
Much of this was related to new physician contracts, and support staff for new
and expanding services. Indeed, the cost of medical staff alone increased by
around 45%. To support the growth in front line services, administrative
expenses, which includes Information Technology, Human Resources, Finance
and Executive, doubled, although it should be noted this was from a small starting
point. Over this period employee benefits grew by over $10m, although this
figure did decrease in 2013. Other operating expenditures have grown by around
25%, from $92 million to $115 million. There has also been the additional burden
of the Bermuda Hospitals Board Capital Spending Programme on the new acute
care wing and the existing hospital facilities.
Recognizing its size and impact on healthcare costs, the Bermuda Hospitals Board
tried to work with insurers and Government to control costs through revenue
caps in 2012 and 2013. This did control costs somewhat, but the impact was not
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properly understood over the long term. These controls reduced income by
about $20 million per year, and with the full funding of the Continuing Care Unit
being withdrawn, the estimate is that income will be reduced by about $25 to $30
million this fiscal year, 2013‐14. The final piece of the puzzle is that for some
years fees have not kept pace with inflation, even though the global costs of
pharmaceuticals, medical technology, supplies and staff have continued to rise;
and the fifth expected 1% fee uplift for the new acute care wing could not be
provided in this current fiscal year due to the economic pressures of Bermuda.
Mr. Chairman, this is why our hospitals are currently feeling the pressure. The
Bermuda Hospitals Board is running harder and faster, but is effectively standing
still. Revenue growth has been outpaced by costs. The financial planning that
was in place did not anticipate the depth or breadth of the economic challenges
we now face, but the Board did put funds aside knowing that they would be
needed for the new acute care wing and ongoing hospital works. There is
currently around $70 million in the bank – but these funds are already allocated
as follows:
$20 million is required for equipment for the new acute care wing – this figure
has been reduced from original estimates of around $40 million by ensuring
that any equipment with useful life is transferred from the existing facility to
the new, and competitive bidding processes are also ensuring best value.
$28 million is required for the first year of payments once the new acute care
wing is substantially completed, and although the Bermuda Hospitals
Charitable Trust is working hard to achieve its target of $40 million for the one
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off payment, the Bermuda Hospitals Board still has to ensure any shortfall is
covered.
Between $5 to $10 million is required for capital equipment in the current King
Edward VII Memorial Hospital to ensure services remaining in the old facility
can be maintained safely
Ongoing minor capital works are required to the amount of about $5 million
The Bermuda Hospitals Board implemented a 10% budget cut across the Board
in this fiscal year of 2013‐14, but if departments are unable to meet the target,
that will cost a further $15 to 20 million.
Finally, $25 million of monthly liquidity is required to fund expenses just to run
the hospital due to the lag between income and expenditure.
The result is that $70 million looks like a lot of money, but it will essentially be
spent to keep clinical services and facilities running through 2014 and the funds
will be exhausted by the late fall of this calendar year.
There is a way forward, but we need to address system as well as hospital issues.
The funding model for the Bermuda Hospitals Board needs to be reviewed and
this piece of work will start in the upcoming fiscal year. The hospitals also have a
utilization committee which is working to ensure a clinical focus on appropriate
testing and clinical best practices that help make the services efficient inside the
hospital, from reducing infection rates and patient falls, to ensuring the
appropriate use of the emergency department. However, if the wider healthcare
system remains essentially unregulated, then Bermuda as a country is unlikely to
see the benefit. Hospital physicians are already beginning to work to ensure
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appropriate controls around utilization, which means eradicating duplicate testing
and following best practice protocols on diagnostic tests. However, external
doctors control a large portion of the utilization; GPs and specialists in private
offices are essentially unregulated. They do the best they can to provide the best
services, but in a system that is not coordinated, duplication is common and there
are no agreed guidelines to assist them with regards to the most appropriate
testing.
Mr. Chairman,
It is important to understand the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s role with regards to
diagnostic testing. It is mandated under law as the statutory provider of acute
health services to the Bermuda community. As the designated center for
performing the acute care mandate, the Bermuda Hospitals Board must have
diagnostic equipment to support both inpatient services, for which there are no
alternatives in Bermuda, and outpatient services. The Bermuda Hospitals Board
does not receive additional revenue for tests performed on inpatients, or
emergency patients who are ultimately admitted to hospital, as all inpatient
hospital services are covered under a fixed ‘diagnostic related group’ (DRG)
charge for their inpatient care.
Outpatients, meanwhile, are mostly referred to the hospital for tests by
community physicians. These referrals often include diagnostic imaging or
laboratory tests. BHB performs these tests and bills the patients’ insurers
accordingly.
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Although blame is frequently assigned to the Bermuda Hospitals Board for
running up health costs, a portion of BHB’s annual revenues arise from
community physicians referring patients for outpatient diagnostic imaging and
laboratory work. A December 2012 survey of MRI and CT tests performed at BHB
established that 56% of the tests were performed on behalf of community
physicians, 28% were ordered by BHB emergency physicians and 16% by other
BHB physicians.
For the hospital alone to reduce testing would not change the dynamic in
Bermuda, as a physician would simply refer to another provider. Squeezing the
hospital, therefore, simply diverts business and doesn’t address a key question.
Are we truly in need of all the diagnostic tests currently ordered?
The only benchmark we currently have is comparing Bermuda to other developed
countries, such as Europe and North America – essentially, those countries
included in healthcare figures provided by the Organisation for Economic Co‐
operation and Development (OECD). What these benchmarks indicate is that
there is a higher rate of CT and MRI testing at the Bermuda Hospitals Board alone,
than in other countries. Physicians collectively order 138 CT exams per 1,000
residents to be performed at the Bermuda Hospitals Board compared to the OECD
average of 131. Seventy‐nine MRI exams per 1,000 residents are performed at
BHB compared to the OECD average of 46. This is before other providers are
considered.
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Using this data and the price per test, the cost of Bermuda’s excess utilization can
be extrapolated as $4.2 million per year. Again, it is key to note that these figures
exclude MRI and CT tests performed at other local diagnostic facilities and tests
performed overseas, so the potential overspend is likely understated.
Emotional voices have been raised in this House, that warn of ‘death by delay’
when it comes to managing utilization. As a community, we need to move
beyond easy and misleading catch phrases when it comes to this issue. We need
to start from the premise that diagnostic testing is an important part of a
physician’s toolkit when assessing a patient, and be clear that there will be times
when tests are needed urgently. But figures from the Bermuda Hospitals Board
indicate that there is duplication and sometimes unnecessary use of certain
equipment.
For example, it has discovered that there are physicians who refer injuries in
young patients to the CT, when a simple x‐ray would suffice. Of prime concern is
that a CT delivers a higher dose of radiation compared to an x‐ray and often
requires a use of a contrast, which an x‐ray does not. There is also a cost
implication – the cost of a CT is much higher. The Bermuda Hospitals Board is
seeking to manage its utilization and cost by ensuring that the right clinical test is
given, based on clinical evidence. This is not about delays, but appropriate usage.
However, there is evidence of duplication and occasional unnecessary testing. As
Minister, I commit to working with the physician community and healthcare
services providers in finding a solution to ensure appropriate tests are provided in
a timely manner. But we simply have to find a solution for avoiding costs that are
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not necessary, collaborating and cooperating more and ensuring our system runs
efficiently.
Today’s focus is not, however, on the full system. The focus is on how the
Ministry will control the Government funds being paid to the hospital through the
subsidy for acute care services used, and the grant for the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness
Institute. System regulation is therefore not up for debate at this point.
However, it impacts the Bermuda Hospitals Board more significantly than other
providers due to its size and so is worth mention at this time.
Mr. Chairman,
In order to assist an informed debate, I have tried to give greater context to the
Bermuda Hospitals Board’s financial position than usually is provided. This is
entirely consistent with the Board’s attempts this year to provide much greater
accountability and transparency to the hospitals’ operations to the community.
But it takes us to the key question as to how does the Bermuda Hospitals Board
move forward. The good news is that there is a way for our hospitals and our
healthcare system to become financially sustainable, even with the new acute
care wing costs. But it requires us to change. Too much of our healthcare
services have been unregulated, poorly governed and run without any real clarity
as to real costs and needs. This is a long term legacy issue. And if we address it,
we can move ourselves towards the provision of safe, high quality, efficient,
financially sustainable and affordable services in the coming years.
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As already noted, there is a big piece of work that relates to the healthcare
system in Bermuda that the Ministry and its departments will need to drive in
collaboration with the Bermuda Hospitals Board, the Bermuda Healthcare
Council, private providers and physicians. This relates to better regulation,
cooperation and efficiency in the country’s healthcare system that focuses on the
patient.
However, the Bermuda Hospitals Board has already embarked on a process that
will strengthen governance, efficiency and cost controls. It will require a
reshaping of services around Bermuda’s core needs, while focusing on the quality
and safety of its services.
Financial sustainability working groups have already been established that include
Board members, BHB management as well as specialists from the Bermuda
financial and business community. They are focusing on three core areas of
change – strategic, structural and operational, all with the objective of “right
sizing” the BHB.
Strategic
The strategic element is to consider the structure of services provided. This
includes an in depth clinical service review, a focus on core and mandated
services, a review of medical affiliates and seeking greater collaboration for
supporting services. This is, in many ways, the most important piece of work for
the community as it directly impacts the extent and nature of services that
Bermuda will receive from the hospital.
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Ensuring accurate data and planning is vital. For this reason, a specialized health
analytical team has been appointed. This team will advise senior management
within the hospital and the wider financial sustainability steering group. As this
type of in‐depth, long term strategic healthcare planning expertise is not available
in‐house, following a detailed procurement process, the Bermuda Hospitals Board
has entered into a contract with PriceWaterhouseCoopers to support the hospital
team. The project to restructure services and achieve long term savings to
achieve financial sustainability is significant and will take time to structure and
implement. The initial stage is due to be completed in the Spring of this year.
Additionally, advice from this group could assist with a redesign of the funding
mechanism for the Bermuda Hospitals Board. The revenue caps have not been an
effective way of managing healthcare costs over the long term. This piece of work
will require extensive work with health and financial partners in Government and
the community. It will need us to review the 1970’s Bermuda Hospitals Board Act
and the Health Insurance Act, which have not been significantly reviewed for over
forty years. It needs to update the definitions of services and ensure it meets
Bermuda’s needs today. It will require the system to come together to discuss
regulation, management of utilization and pre‐approval processes.
The strategic steering group will also collaborate with Government and the
community in developing a successful long term care solution for Bermuda. The
previous Minister began the process, recognizing that the existing Continuing
Care Unit at the hospital which has a capacity for over 100 people is ageing and
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new solutions need to be put into place. A meeting with potential private
providers has taken place, but significantly more work is required for this to be
structured. In the mean‐time, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is looking at its own
long term care service to see how best it can reduce costs while this solution is
devised. It is about more than bricks and mortar. It is about how services for our
seniors who need long term medical or assisted care are funded; it is about
working out how we look after those with more challenging behaviours and
dementia‐related conditions, and – critically – the ability of Financial Assistance to
fund long term placements.
Structural
The structural financial sustainability steering group at the Bermuda Hospitals
Board is looking at restructuring BHB assets, rationalizing technologies with
external partners, rationalizing the estate and seeking innovative ways to manage
existing facilities and also reviewing the recommendation of the SAGE report to
consolidate mental health and substance abuse services on the KEMH campus,
potentially with long term care, in a new facility. This might be some years off,
but the viability and affordability of the recommendation must be reviewed so
long term plans can be established.
Operational
Finally, the operational piece relates to reshaping the workforce at BHB around
the new service model. It has to anticipate current and future demand models,
ensure an efficient and productive as well as appropriately skilled and qualified
workforce and ensure compensation is fair and affordable. Work here has
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already started. A summary of the report on physician compensation has already
been made public by the Board. The report recommends how to make physician
compensation fair and equitable and this process is already being implemented.
Senior management salaries have been frozen for two years, and performance
pay – which made up between zero to 15% of salaries depending on performance
– was removed last year. A full review of compensation at this level is also
underway and adjustments will be made based on its findings.
Even during financially trying times, the Bermuda Hospitals Board has to invest
and spend funds in order to ensure a viable and safe service can be provided.
This is has to be a well‐planned, informed and managed process, and there is a
defined process requiring business cases to be approved at senior management
and Board level. These are often extremely difficult decisions given the very
limited funds the Bermuda Hospitals Board has available, but safe, quality clinical
care and environments are prioritized.
A 10% budget cut was required across the organization in this fiscal year, and this
has been introduced with minimal impact on staff. Only a handful of
redundancies were required this year, and redevelopment opportunities were
investigated fully for all staff.
Patient Satisfaction
Mr. Chairman, every month the Board reviews patient satisfaction levels. Despite
a very full agenda, this remains an ongoing metric and the hospitals are held to
account for the results. This is one of the metrics used to assess whether the
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hospitals give us value for money, alongside clinical and financial data. It is worth
mention, as this is a significant investment by the Bermuda Hospitals Board in
ensuring the patients’ voices are heard at the highest levels, and used to make
improvements to the service. About 300 individuals are phoned each month in
collating the figures. People are randomly selected to be called within 30 days of
their experience at the hospital and the results are entirely confidential. The
percentage of satisfied patients is given as the percentage of respondents who
scored seven or more out of ten.
Despite a major agenda of change, in a year when there have been multiple
reports, increasing pressures to cut costs and to prepare for a transfer of services
to a new acute care wing, the staff of the Bermuda Hospitals Board continue to
work hard to improve levels of patient satisfaction. This is not always easy,
especially considering that overall satisfaction in nearly all areas were brought
down by questions about the patient environment. As the existing facility in on a
construction site, and renovation is not a priority for the areas such as the wards
and emergency, which are moving, this is not surprising.
For example, there was a slight dip in the overall level of satisfaction for inpatient
care from 78.6% in 2012 to 75.4% in 2013, but within this is improved satisfaction
in pain management from 77.1% to 84.2% and continually high satisfaction with
inpatient doctors which rose from 94.8% in 2012 to 95% in 2013. Satisfaction
with the environment dropped from 83.2% to 79.8%, which is to be expected in
an aging facility, although there is more concern about satisfaction with nursing
on the wards which dropped from 83.6% in 2012 to 77.3% in 2013.
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In the Emergency Department, however, nurse satisfaction rose from 88.6% to
90.2% and satisfaction with emergency doctors went from 95.3% to 96%. The
environmental satisfaction also dropped, however, as did satisfaction with wait
times, impacting overall satisfaction which dropped from 93.2% to 89.6%.
Lower levels of satisfaction with outpatient environments also caused a slight
drop in overall satisfaction in outpatient services, from 97.2% to 93.7%, as
satisfaction with outpatient nurses rose from 89% to 93.6% and satisfaction with
outpatient doctors dipped only very, very slightly from 98.2% to 97.7%. Similarly
in the outpatient surgery area, the environment was the only indicator that
dropped – impacting the overall rate, which went from 96.4% to 93.4%.
Satisfaction with nursing in this area had risen in 2013 to 91% from 90.6% the
year prior, while satisfaction with outpatient surgery doctors remained flat at
96%.
Patient complaints and complements are received outside of the patient
satisfaction survey and also followed up with, and investigated as required. A
total of 266 complaints were received in 2013, compared to 280 in 2012. The top
four areas of complaint in 2013 were care provider issues, staff attitude and
behaviour complaints, followed by billing and, finally, service delivery issues.
On a more positive note, 98 compliments were received in 2013, compared to 93
in 2012.
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Financial, Clinical and Corporate Reviews
Mr. Chairman, the 2012/13 Board initiated a Clinical and Corporate Governance
Review that was completed and made public in full in May 2013. The entire
process was then reviewed by the Ombudsman of Bermuda. The report was not
without contention, as was reported by the Ombudsman. However, there were
many sound practices recommended, especially in relation to Board governance a
section written by a highly experience member of the review team, Mr. Philip
Hassen, whose experience and skills are easily researchable online.
An important success of this report was the incorporation of the voices of many
stakeholders, which raised many of the concerns individuals in our community
had. While this report does not, on its own, have all the solutions, there are other
recent reports that the Board is also using to establish a framework on which an
effective and powerful strategy can be built.
Recommendations already implemented include the following:
A comprehensive Board orientation plan was established, including onsite
visits and comprehensive materials to ensure that detailed, in‐depth
information was provided up front for new Board members.
People on the Board with clinical expertise were appointed last year – namely
people with physician and nursing backgrounds and training, including Dr
Andrew West, Dr Colin Couper, Dr Alicia Stovell and Lucille Beresford‐Swan as
full members, Dr Cheryl Peek‐Ball as the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael
Weitekamp as Chief of Staff, and Chief of Psychiatry, Dr Chantelle Symonds, as
ex‐officio.
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New committee structures were established to ensure the Board focuses
attention on fiscal responsibilities, clinical quality, human resources issues,
stakeholder relations and capital planning.
Additional community members have been included on certain committees,
including Peter Everson and Terry Faulkenberry on Audit & Finance, and Mr.
Mark Selley and Ms Kerry Judd on the Communications Committee.
A comprehensive service review and strategic planning exercise is underway.
Over 200 staff, physicians, management and Board were involved in setting a
new vision, strategic aims and values for BHB, and then agreeing priorities to
focus the whole organization on achieving key driving strategies to improve
quality and safety, patient experience, workforce development and financial
health.
The Clinical and Corporate Governance Review was only one of many that the
Board is using to establish a powerful and effective strategy. The others include:
Two KPMG reports undertaken in 2012 to review due diligence around and
impact of Memoranda of Understanding and affordability of new hospital
acute care wing.
Towers Watson review of physician compensation (received by BHB in May
2013).
The Auditor General’s recommended review of BHB’s 2011‐12 annual financial
statements, including HPL).
A review of Senior Management Compensation is underway.
A Clinical Services and Funding Review is starting that will be informed by the
previously mentioned project group to support the Financial Sustainability
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Steering Group. This will include extensive collaboration with community
partners, especially physicians.
The Review completed by the Department of Internal Audit provided detailed
recommendations for the Bermuda Hospitals Board. All the recommendations
were accepted. In reporting back to the Department of Internal Audit, good
progress in meeting the recommendations was noted.
This year, additional work undertaken by the Board with regards to improving the
Governance of our hospitals has included:
New Directors were appointed to the wholly owned subsidiary Healthcare
Partners Limited, known as HPL. The Directors are Jonathan Brewin, Chairman
of BHB, Jeanne Atherden who is also the Chair of the Audit and Finance
Subcommittee of the Board, Thad Hollis, who is a Board member, and Venetta
Symonds, the BHB CEO. The Board’s intent is to wind down HPL, but it needs
to transition operations appropriately and this process is underway. This work
pre‐dated the Auditor General’s review of this subsidiary and the Board was
pleased to see the Department of Internal Audit’s findings supported its
decision to close HPL.
The review of physician compensation is complete, and this Board has
implemented a fairer compensation framework based on quality.
Obstetricians and Gynecologists are no longer employed by BHB, but have
been provided access to BHB’s more affordable medical malpractice insurance
through service contracts.
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Executive salaries will form part of BHB’s public annual report each year. Once
the Auditor General’s audit of the 2011/12 financials is complete, the annual
report will be completed and salaries will form part of this publication.
The new acute care wing – the opportunity and the challenges
Mr. Chairman, I would like to spend some time discussing the impact of the new
acute care wing on care, as this is a huge piece of work for the staff of the
Bermuda Hospitals Board at the moment, and reflects a serious investment by the
Hospitals Board and Bermuda. This culminates with the financial obligations of
the new acute care wing which begin when the facility is completed this summer
and opened to the public in the Fall.
The contract binds us to monthly payments, which, when they start in the fiscal
year 2014/15, will be $2.2 million per month. A one off payment of $40 million is
being supported by the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust capital campaign,
Why It Matters, and payment is due when the facility is completed in June this
year. It is very easy to become over‐awed by the 30 year total payments, but the
Bermuda Hospitals Board is undertaking an immense amount of work to prepare,
and Government will work closely with the Bermuda Hospitals Board to ensure
the obligations of Bermuda’s first public private partnership are met.
Despite the financial challenges, these obligations can be met if, and only if, the
hospitals and the healthcare system move forward with modernization and
appropriate regulation. People do not need to fear the payments, but do need to
take a realistic and pragmatic look at how our health services are provided and be
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willing to support their evolution into an efficient, modern, quality delivery
model.
It should be noted that the slight delay recently announced does not cause any
cost–overruns to Bermuda Hospitals Board. In fact, the ten week delay means
that the Bermuda Hospitals Board does not have anything to pay until June,
rather than April, saving it over $4 million in this fiscal year. As the end of the
contract does not change, this is a real saving – though small – to the total project
cost.
While we understand the challenges of the financial impact, we also need to take
stock and understand that this facility is vital to the sustainability of healthcare
services in Bermuda over the next 30 years.
Quite simply, we are getting an outstanding acute care facility that will be fully
maintained over the next 30 years as those costs already form part of the monthly
payments. It is not just a mortgage payment for the facility. Although the
building belongs to BHB, maintenance and lifecycle replacement services are the
responsibility of our private partner, Paget Health Services. Performance
specifications were established as part of the contract that have to be met over
the 30 years that ensures that during this time the facility will be maintained at a
high standard – it will not suffer from lack of maintenance like the existing King
Edward facility. Additionally, should the facility not perform to specification,
there are penalties applied to the payments that will reduce the cost to the
Bermuda Hospitals Board. The incentive is there for Paget Health Services to
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ensure the facility meets all quality requirements not just on the day they hand
the building over, but for the next 30 years.
Mr. Chairman, the quality of the new facility is superb. The building’s design was
modeled in wind tunnels and it is designed to withstand category 5 hurricanes
and earthquakes. Windows were hurricane tested this year to ensure they could
withstand a direct hit from a major storm.
But, even more importantly, the care which our people receive will be of an
unparalleled quality in Bermuda. It starts, for sure, with improved processes and
standards. The new building will support modern standards, but the realization of
these improvements relies on the preparedness and skills of the BHB staff. BHB is
working very hard to ensure that it uses the new facility efficiently and maximizes
the opportunity the new building provides to change the manner in which BHB
provides the care to its patients. Let me provide you with a little more detail.
Inpatient Units
Mr. Chairman, I want to look first at inpatient acute care for medical and surgical
patient. The room standard will be one person per room – this will not be for the
people who can afford to upgrade their premium to a private room, while the rest
of Bermuda makes do with the public or semi‐private wards (as is the case today).
Single, en‐suite rooms are not a luxury, but a clinical best practice standard for
acutely ill patients.
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Single, en‐suite rooms reduce the likelihood of cross‐infection, as well as
improving privacy for patients and their families. Acutely ill individuals can rest in
a peaceful, healing environment, tended to by nurses whose sole focus is the
acutely ill. Healthcare teams will not be distracted by having long term care
patients on their wards who require a different level of skill and attention than
acute patients. A senior who is relatively alert and just needs gentle rehabilitation
and minimal medical care is a different proposition to a patient with pneumonia,
recovering from a serious accident, or has a complex combination of conditions
that require monitoring. More importantly, with nurses focused only on acutely
ill patients, their skills are honed and sharpened.
Each room has a private bathroom, which also helps prevent the spread of
infections. There are floor to ceiling windows bringing in natural light.
En‐suite, single rooms also help the hospital run more efficiently. If one person
on a public ward has a contagious infection, all four beds become blocked to
admissions, which can cause delays in the system. No empty beds will blocked
due to infections in the new acute care wing as they are all single‐rooms.
Now this sounds wonderful ‐ and it is – but we have to take a reality check. We
come back to the critical issue that the healthcare system regularly impacts the
ability of the Bermuda Hospitals Board service to run quality, efficient hospital
services. In the case of inpatient wards, the lack of long term care places to which
people can be discharged already causes major challenges to the King Edward VII
Memorial Hospital. The challenge is to prevent beds in the new acute care wing
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becoming blocked if the system, or patients’ families, cannot accommodate
patients who are ready for discharge.
As the Bermuda Hospitals Board cannot control the system, it is attempting to
provide alternate level care placements in the existing King Edward facility.
Essentially, wards will remain in the old facility for people who are no longer
acutely ill but do not need an acute care bed in the new wing. These will remain
as semi‐public and public rooms, with a few private options. Once ready for
discharge from the new wing’s acute care bed, such an individual will transfer to
the old facility until an appropriate placement is found. This does not take the
pressure off the community system. For if these wards fill up, there is still the
danger that our new acute care beds will be blocked to acutely ill patients
needing admission. Patients staying longer in acute beds are more likely to pick
up hospital‐acquired infections as, quite simply, they are being cared for
alongside very ill people. They are more likely to pick up pressure sores as there
are not the facilities for them to become more active. Lack of activity can also
lead to greater physical declines. And for the hospital system, acute beds blocked
by non‐acute patients leads to admissions delays and longer waits in Emergency.
The Ministry is well briefed on this as an issue and although outside the remit of
this budget debate, work is ongoing to devise and implement a long term care
strategy that will provide quality placements for our seniors and young disabled,
and will enable our hospitals acute care services to run more effectively.
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Intensive Care
It is important to note that the Intensive Care Unit will not be moving. A
designated transfer route has been identified however so that a patient in ICU
who needs to be taken to surgery, for a diagnostic imaging test, or who is being
transferred to an acute care ward, will have his or her confidentiality and dignity
protected. ICU patients will no longer have to travel through any public areas as
they do today. So even though the route to the new facility is slightly longer, it is
more private.
Surgery
Mr. Chairman, the new surgical suites or ORs in the new acute care wing will be a
major asset to acute care services in Bermuda. New audio visual technology will
allow surgeons to archive and store an unprecedented amount of data they are
seeing throughout a surgery.
The terminology is “OR audio visual integrating system”. The equipment will give
staff in the ORs the ability to record the visual and/or audio of the surgical
procedure being performed. Four large monitors will be available in each OR,
allowing surgeons to view images in high definition from almost any angle. The
monitors can be linked to different devices wirelessly so surgeons can see what’s
on a microscope or laparoscope even in mid surgery. Surgeons will also have the
capability, with the flick of a switch, to change which device they want shown on a
particular monitor. And surgeons will also be able to show and share what they
are doing with other medical professionals, and do so in real time. This could help
if an urgent second opinion is required.
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The system also allows surgeons to take still photographs, and download their
videos and still shots to a DVD, CD, USB storage device or to the network. The
system also saves and archives the information. Add‐ons and upgrades to the
system can be done by downloads in the same way you upgrade apps on mobile
devices. This will save in travel, labor and physical device costs and reduces the
need for additional space for equipment in the future.
This state of the art equipment is new on the market but is already working well in
at least two hospitals in the US. Most recently this equipment was installed in
four ORs at Philadelphia’s St. Mary’s Hospital and in three OR’s in the Medical
College of Virginia.
Other changes which will be possible because of the new surgical suites include
patients being discharged directly from the post anaesthetic care unit, rather than
having an extra step, of going back to the surgical ambulatory area as happens
today. They will be able to leave directly and wait in the atrium to be picked up.
Additionally, people will no longer have to wait for a wheelchair or stretcher to be
taken into the OR. Those who are able will be able to walk through when they are
ready. Pilot testing is underway to ensure the new process is managed
appropriately.
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Oncology & Dialysis
Dialysis numbers are rising exponentially in Bermuda, over the last ten years
numbers have risen from 54 in the fiscal year from April 2002/03, up to 157 in the
fiscal year from 2012/13, an increase of over 190%. The Beresford Swan Dialysis
Unit is not only aging, but is not large enough, so the new acute care facility will,
at last, be able to meet international standards with regards to space. There will
be four more bays in the new facility compared to what is currently available, and
this will enable 12 more treatments per day and 60 more treatments per week.
Just to note, eight dialysis machines have been installed in the current unit, as
they required urgent replacement. As the service is already under pressure from
the number of patients, losing machines would impact the Dialysis Service’s ability
to provide the level of service needed, so it was agreed the machines would be
purchased and installed ahead of the move. They will, however, be transferred to
the new facility in September.
Over 2,000 chemotherapy treatments were provided in the last fiscal year. This
rise from about 1,500 the year before is likely related to an increased and
consistent team of oncologists. In the new facility, there will not only be open
bays, but two private rooms for treatments. This is in response to some patients
who may have either had bad news, or be feeling extremely unwell and need
more privacy.
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Emergency
There will be 19 treatment rooms in the new Emergency Department, and
everyone will be fully equipped to deal with all emergency requirements, from
resuscitation to suturing. At the moment, not all bays are fully equipped,
requiring patients to be moved for certain treatments and procedures. Three
rooms in the new acute care wing will be designated as ‘resuscitation rooms’: one
is a dual resuscitation room and two are single resuscitation rooms.. The
ambulances will be able to rush patients directly into these rooms in a true, high
acuity emergency such as heart attack, stroke or bad road accident. However, all
rooms will be equipped should a more stable patient suddenly deteriorate.
There will also be a much improved level of privacy for Emergency patients than
can be accommodated in the current facility. Emergency patients will no longer
have to come out onto public corridors to access diagnostic imaging. It can be
very unpleasant at the moment for very unwell or injured patients to be wheeled
through the public corridor and elevator area in order to reach x‐ray, ultrasound,
CT or MRI services.
There will also be a new approach to triage. Plans are being made to have clinical
staff quickly assess patients as they arrive and, based on their condition, move to
an appropriate treatment area. This means that triage may take place in the
treatment room as we move to triage as a function, rather than a location.
The layout of the new Emergency Department considers the patient journey, but
it is not a bigger Department. There are in reality four fewer bays than are
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available at present, but the bays will be larger and fully equipped. People will
not be left on stretchers with only curtains between them and the next patient.
The entire hospital facility will have to support the Emergency Department more
efficiently to better manage patient flows to acute beds, as the new Department
will not have the surge capacity of the old sixth south. This is another reason why
keeping long term care patients out of the new acute care beds will be critical.
Equipment and Outside Providers of Services
As previously mentioned, extensive work was undertaken to identify equipment
that could be transferred from the existing hospital, rather than buying everything
new. However, the equipment budget is still around $20 million. Robust
procurement processes are in place to ensure best value, and the items have
been collated into several ‘bid packages’ where there are synergies and potential
savings and RFPs have been issued for these bid packages.
An RFP was issued this year for an outpatient pharmacy that will be available in
the lobby of the new acute care wing for patients and visitors. Currently there is a
small outpatient pharmacy next to Emergency, but BHB does not have the
resources to properly dedicate itself to this service and wants to concentrate its
resources on inpatient care. The release of the RFP was publicly announced, and
the process is underway.
The Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda will be running the gift shop in the new
facility, and will also provide light refreshments. However, the Pink Café will
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remain where it is – close to outpatient services and within walking distance of
the new acute care lobby.
Efficiency
Mr. Chairman, although the utility costs for running extra space will increase
operational costs for the Bermuda Hospitals Board, the new acute care wing is
designed to save 26% in terms of energy costs compared to a standard building.
There are 24 Solar panels on roof that will pre‐heat water for the inpatient room
floors, saving around 9,000 gallons of fuel per year, and the renewable energy will
be used to support available hot water which is needed around the clock by staff
and patients
The new acute care wing houses a new central utilities plant which will serve both
the new and existing buildings. The replacement of the old central utility plant on
the KEMH site will improve consistency and efficiency of infrastructure services
such as water and air conditioning in the existing facility which will still include
Maternity, Children’s Ward, Lab services, the alternative level of care wards and
outpatient services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech
pathology, and dietetics.
The new sewage treatment system will also serve the entire King Edward campus
and has been built to a higher specification than any other system on the island –
a three step system that removes solids and biologically treats water.
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Finally, looking forward, the sewage system and central utilities plant have been
constructed so that they can cope with additional capacity in the event of another
building being added to the campus. This will save considerable costs to any
future construction.
Operational Readiness Activities
Mr. Chairman, a serious investment is already being made in preparing for the
transfer to the new acute care wing. This takes up staff time, as well as hospital
resources, and in part accounts for Bermuda Hospitals Board’s management of its
finances in this and the next fiscal year.
Financial readiness is a major part of operational readiness, and the efficiencies
and cost savings being sought at this time are required both within BHB and in the
healthcare system as it directly impacts BHB finances. I have already spoken to
the issues of funding models, regulation and utilization management, as well as
the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s drive to reshape services around core
requirements and ensure optimized efficiencies.
Preparing to move services, however, requires every staff member to be involved,
trained and tested. The Bermuda Hospitals Board has been moving through nine
stages of readiness – where stage 1 is go‐live. This process started back in April
2012, almost two years ago, with intensive planning, through decision making,
workforce planning and implementation. The organization is currently in the third
testing phase, which will conclude in March this year. Pre‐occupation will then
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take place, which includes orientation and training within the new build before
anyone moves. Occupation is planned for mid September 2014.
The current move schedule sees Security take over the property once it is
completed in June, when the building is completed and pre‐occupation activities
commence. This is the point at which Bermuda Hospitals Board becomes
responsible for the welfare of the building and can start intensive orientation and
training for staff as construction is fully complete. Services will move over in early
September, once orientation and training is complete. If all runs to schedule,
services will start to move from 5pm on Friday 12 September with the last
services moving in the morning of Monday 15 September. As a reminder, the
new acute care wing is not there to deliver new services. It is to ensure our
current services have the appropriate space in which to function and deliver safe,
quality care.
The most important move to remember is Emergency – as the people accessing
the service will not be known in advance. The current schedule has Emergency
move at one minute past midnight – in the very early morning of Sunday, 14
September. For a short time both old and new Emergency Departments will be
functional. Up to midnight on Saturday, 13 September, anyone having a medical
emergency should go to the old department and they will stay there until their
care is complete. Patients will not be transferred from the old to the new
Emergency Department. It will stay open until all patients have been discharged
or admitted. From one minute past midnight, the new service will be operational
and any new patients will go directly to the new Department.
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The inpatient wards will be moved on Sunday, 14 September, and have been
carefully scheduled so as not to interfere with breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Although easier to plan, as staff will know who is in the hospital, and elective
surgeries can be planned for after the move to reduce numbers, it is important
that visitors are aware that there will be limited visiting hours on this day. Each
ward will have staggered transfers approximately two hours apart, with patients
transferred on stretchers, beds or wheelchairs through the connections that exist
between facilities.
Regular outpatients, such as oncology and dialysis patients, will receive
information from the team closer to the time to confirm the move, but it is
expected that Oncology will move to the new facility on Saturday, 13 September,
and Dialysis on Sunday, 14 September, as these are days that they are usually
closed so will have minimal impact on patients.
Although the moves are in the upcoming fiscal year, the preparation and
dedication of resources to plan and test activities for the transfer is taking place
now. While staff members are also training in new protocols and standards for
quality care for once the move has taken place, just ensuring every service, staff
member and patient transfers safely takes a huge effort.
Work will continue and be refined until the transfer to ensure services can pick up
smoothly from their new locations. For example, the Emergency Operational
Team is looking at how air evacuations and transit routes will be managed as well
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as ensuring operational policies reflect the new environment, and staffing is
appropriately schedule for the new layout, patient flows and number of beds.
Support services are equally impacted by the move. Time and motion studies are
being carried out to ensure efficiencies in Laundry and Dietary are retained. These
departments will remain in their current locations in the existing build, but their
service routes will change drastically.
Linen, for example, will be taken to the new wing through a service link corridor. A
motorized device will help staff to transport the linen carts along the long corridor.
The hospital is timing each leg of the delivery to determine the most efficient
routing. The process will also help highlight challenges and difficulties that may
exist in the switchover. Unlike the current system, where soiled linens are
collected from the floors by a linen operator, in the new wing soiled linen will be
placed in a chute and collected in a room in the basement of the building.
This sounds straightforward, but it is a new method, and staff are having to map
out the details, ensuring everyone knows exactly where linen will be sorted, the
best time to do the sorting, then how and when it will be brought to the laundry.
Food delivery will be equally challenging, with inpatient food having to be taken
much further than at the moment, as the new units will be further away.
These sound like small details, but when patients move in September, the service
has to be seamless, meals will need to arrive on time and linens have to be
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available.
KEMH Redevelopment Project – New Build Construction Update
While the Bermuda Hospitals Board is preparing for the transfer, Paget Health
Services has now moved into the final phase of construction.
The structure of the NACW and Link building are now completed, we have “Power
on” in all areas of the building, light fixtures and ceilings have been installed giving
the inside of the building more of a finished appearance. Having power on is an
important aspect of the construction, as it allows the contractors to advance the
commissioning process.
Most of the work at the New Acute Care Wing site now involves the start‐up of
systems, flushing of pipework and commissioning of plant and equipment, final
finishes, final building systems, preparation for delivery of medical equipment and
hard and soft landscaping.
The 2nd tower crane, which has been a feature on the Island’s landscape for
nearly three years has now been removed and signals the end of major
construction works.
There has been remarkable progress in the last few months with the Emergency
Department, Diagnostic Imaging, Dialysis, Outpatient Services and 3rd floor ward
areas closed down and cleaned to allow final commissioning and balancing of the
air conditioning systems. These areas are complete with regards to the base build
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works and now provide insight into the staff and patient friendly environment
envisaged in the original concept design.
The four story high atrium is now complete save for the Day Surgery Reception
area and provides an impressive centerpiece of the NACW. Remaining patient
areas of the building will be shut down progressively over the next month with the
Main Entrance being the last area to complete.
The render and natural stone external wall finishes to the NACW are now nearing
completion which is allowing the external roads and footpaths to be progressed
from the new hospital entrance and into the new car park.
Areas such as Diagnostic Imaging are being prepared for the installation of major
fixed items of Medical Equipment with first phase of the new MRI equipment on
site being installed. Radio frequency and magnetic shielding for radiation
protection in the MRI rooms is complete. Lead‐lined sheetrock installation in X‐
ray and CT scan areas is also complete and will provide radiation protection for
staff and the public. The fit out of the five new Operating Theatres with Clinical
Equipment will follow closely behind.
Final fixtures and fittings work is underway including doors, millwork, cabinetry,
ceilings, sanitary ware, sinks, bumper rails, light fixtures, medical gas headwalls
and wall finishes. Two elevators have passed inspection and are in use for the
distribution of construction materials. Elevators 1‐6 are complete.
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The Data Centre is due for BHB access from mid‐March to allow BHB’s IT team to
carry out connectivity checks between the existing facility and the NACW prior to
transfer. Essential building systems such the fire alarm system, nurse call, patient
entertainment, security management system and BMS are all well progressed with
final programming being undertaken both on site and remotely.
Notable recent milestones on the project have been the labour on site peaking at
610 in January, although labour levels will now gradually reduce through to
completion in June and 2 million man hours worked on site. The mix of labour on
site continues to be in excess of 60% Bermudian which has been achieved
throughout the project.
The new Sewage Treatment Plant installation is now well advanced, to allow
transfer of drainage disposal from the existing Sewage Pumping Station at the end
of March, as are the Abstraction Wells on South Road which will provide the
cooling water for the chillers which will provide chilled water for both the NACW
and the existing facility.
The Main Link Structure which provides essential continuity of the Clinical
Operations primarily through Level 2 is now in the final stages of finishing works
and the breakthroughs into the CCU Link Corridor are underway. The bridge
structure that will link the NACW to Wards in the existing King Edward VII
Memorial Hospital on the third and fourth floors is now complete.
Around the new facility, palm trees and small shrubs are being planted as areas
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become available. Curbs and brick pavers are being installed in the main
entranceway and traditional Bermuda stone walls are being installed on the
access route from Point Finger Road up to the main entrance.
Works on site are scheduled for completion in June 2014 to allow BHB to carry out
their Operational Readiness training, awareness and transfer over a three month
period ready for opening to the public in September 2014.
KEMH Existing Facility Upgrades and Maintenance
Mr. Chairman, services moving to the new facility require changes in the existing
facility as well. With inpatient and emergency wards being significantly further
away from the Lab, a pneumatic tube system is being installed in the new facility
linking directly to the Lab in the existing build. The longer distance between the
two departments would otherwise cause delays in the sending of blood and urine
samples for testing. The pneumatic system will be able to transport samples from
the lab to an inpatient ward in under a minute.
Maternity is also staying in the existing facility. However, because surgery is
moving, there was an identified risk for mothers who require emergency
caesarians. The distance between Maternity and the new operating rooms was
simply too far and would potentially put mothers and their babies at risk. Two
surgical suites in maternity are therefore being constructed. Although this is a
safety issue first, which is unavoidable due to the transfer of the general
operating room in the new acute care wing, this also better preserves the dignity,
comfort and privacy of mothers who undergo emergency caesarians, as they will
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remain within the Maternity Department. The budget for this project is just
under $1.6 million.
Much mention has been made in the past about the ageing building in which the
Continuing Care Unit is housed. I want to inform the House today that the BHB
plans to relocate these patients to wards that will be freed up in the existing
KEMH building once the New Acute Care Wing is opened. This is currently being
planned for October this year and after the patients are moved the BHB intends
to demolish a significant portion of the old CCU building, not including the
Heddington Gym and Chapel.
Elevators
A project to replace four elevators at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was
completed on time and on budget this fiscal year. It started in October, 2012 and
was completed in the summer of 2013. The Bermuda Hospitals Board had to very
carefully ration its capital projects this year, given its deteriorating financial
position. However, investments were still needed in order to keep the facility in
safe working order.
The old elevators were originally installed in 1972 and each had done about 9
million lifts. The project to replace the elevators was approved as part of the
required maintenance of the existing King Edward facility, to ensure safety,
reliability and extend the facility’s useful life for the next 20 to 30 years as it will
still house services such as Maternity, the Children’s Ward, the Lab and outpatient
physiotherapy.
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The new elevators are lighter, faster and more efficient. Visitors and patients are
not always able to take the stairs, and for inpatients being moved in beds and
wheelchairs for diagnostic services or surgeries the lifts need to be in good
working order. The entire project cost $1.2 million.
Macerator
Last year, while the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s ageing oxidiser was undergoing
maintenance, medical waste began to accumulate and had to be stored in
containers at Sally Port. The hospitals responded by seeking a new system to
dispose of its hazardous waste, and entered into an international agreement so
that there is a failsafe in place.
The new system is a macerator, which uses steam to sterilize, has been installed
and tested. Biological and infectious materials, as well as needles, syringes,
disposable surgical equipment, and contaminated plastics are now heated to 270
degrees – killing all pathogens and effectively sterilizing the material while
producing no emissions. Medical waste is simply placed in the body of the
machine where a patented steam and maceration process renders the material
sterilized at the end. The resultant material is a fine confetti which is safe and can
be disposed of as regular trash or recycled.
Again, in a difficult financial environment, the Bermuda Hospitals Board had no
choice but invest in a new waste disposal method. Bermuda simply does not have
the infrastructure to manage the waste outside of the hospital. However, it was
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pleasing to see that investment in new technology considered the hospital’s
impact on the community and the environment. The upgrade was not cheap, as
the total first cost for the two macerators was $480,000. However, major savings
are already being experienced. The three year average cost of operating and
maintaining the bio‐oxidiser was $845,949; the comparable cost of operating and
maintaining the macerators projected to the end of March 2014, is $347,934.
The two macerators have the ability to destroy two times the amount of waste as
the Bio Oxidizer. Additionally one machine can remain operational whilst
preventive maintenance can be carried out on the other machine, ensuring there
is no accumulation of medical waste, as happened when the Bio Oxidizer needed
repairs. The machines take up a quarter of the space of the bio oxidizer, and with
far fewer moving parts, the on hand inventory is greatly reduced and is less
inexpensive. Finally, there are no emissions from the macerators. The process
leaves a physical debris that looks like confetti and has been completely sterilized.
MWI Existing Facility Upgrades and Maintenance
Equally in need of upgrading is the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute’s sewage
system. While the King Edward facility will have its waste managed by the new
sewage treatment plant in the new acute care wing, the sewage plant at MWI
requires capital investment. The Bermuda Hospitals Board has compiled a
business case regarding the required work and presented it to the Ministry for
assistance. Both the hospitals and the Ministry are very conscious that
neighbours are having to put up with frequent bad odors. It is an ageing sewage
plant which essentially needs replacing. The risks associated with this, alongside
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other critical needs, have led Government to provide MWI with a grant of $1
million in the upcoming fiscal year. The remainder of the MWI facility has been
examined and over the next three years further very significant capital
expenditure will be required to protect the health and safety of the MWI patients
and employees.
BHB Estate Master Plan
Mr. Chairman, BHB is not only planning for the improvements it needs to make
over the next financial year, but it is turning its attention to the longer term
capital need of all of its estate. Many of the BHB buildings are ageing and over
the next few years will require very significant expenditures to maintain, and in
some cases, upgrade the infrastructure. However to spend the sums of money
that might be required, which will run into potentially hundreds of millions of
dollars, is not a sensible approach given the projected fiscal challenges the
hospital faces.
For this reason the BHB will shortly be embarking on the preparation of an Estates
Master Plan which will consider the infrastructure needs of the BHB for the next
generation of patients, and how best these needs might be addressed. For
example, this will include consideration of centralizing all services on the existing
KEMH site and relocating services provided elsewhere to this central facility. Not
only will this save money, but the creation of a healthcare campus will enable
services to be delivered in a much more efficient manner than currently.
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Senior Clinical Appointments
Chief of Staff
Dr. Michael Weitekamp M.D., M.H.A. was appointed as Chief of Staff, in May
2013. The Chief of Staff is responsible for all physicians and is the medical lead at
BHB. The position reports to the Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Venetta Symonds,
and is appointed by and accountable to the Board and Minister for Health &
Seniors.
Dr. Weitekamp is responsible for the supervision of medical, psychiatric and
dental care given to patients and residents in BHB facilities. Dr Weitekamp
therefore plays a key role in ensuring patient safety and sound clinical
governance, and in building positive relations with the physician community. Dr
Weitekamp is an American who specializes in Internal Medicine and Infectious
Diseases. For the last 36 years, Dr Weitekamp has worked at The Pennsylvania
State University College of Medicine and Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, an
academic medical center with a medical school, 500‐bed teaching hospital, 800
physician clinical faculty, 600 residents/fellows and nearly 300 advance practice
clinicians.
Dr Weitekamp has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Fairfield University, a
Doctor of Medicine from Georgetown University and a Master of Health
Administration from Penn State University. His post‐graduate training in internal
medicine and infectious disease was at Penn State. He is a graduate of the
Executive Leadership Program from the American Association of Health Plans. He
holds current certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine in both
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internal medicine and infectious diseases. Professional affiliations include Fellow,
American College of Physicians, Society of General Internal Medicine,
Pennsylvania Medical Society and Dauphin County Medical Society.
Director of Cardiology
The Bermuda Hospitals Board also appointed Dr. Sam Mir, M.D., F.A.C.C., as
Director of Cardiology. Dr Mir had worked as an Attending Cardiologist at BHB
since March 2011. A recruitment process has been initiated for a new Attending
Cardiologist following Dr Mir’s promotion, and a new Cardiologist is expected to
arrive in Bermuda in the summer.
Chief of Pathology
More recently, Dr. Clyde Wilson was been appointed as Chief of Pathology. The
Chief of Pathology reports to the Chief of Staff and is responsible for all laboratory
services at BHB, which include blood and urine tests; examination of biopsies and
specimens removed at time of surgery, cervical smears and other fluids for
diseases such as cancer; haematology and blood transfusion services;
microbiology and autopsy services. Dr. Wilson is a Bermudian and has more than
20 years of experience in the field of microbiology with a special interest in the
role of infection in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.
Dr. Wilson is a highly accomplished author and co‐author of over 50 peer‐
reviewed scientific publications in international journals. He is also a contributor
to six textbooks on the role of microorganisms as trigger factors of autoimmune
diseases. Dr. Wilson is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath),
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London. In 2006, Dr. Wilson was appointed Director of Undergraduate
Development at KEMH. This was an initiative by the BHB to allow pre‐medical
and medical students to shadow physicians and other health‐care professionals in
various departments at the hospital.
Focusing Resources on Clinical Needs
Urgent Care Centre – update
Mr. Chairman, as my Honorable Colleagues will be aware, the Bermuda Hospitals
Board is seeking to focus on the clinical needs and core services required by
Bermuda in an effort to shape a financially sustainable, safe and high quality
health care service. Quite simply, it has to reshape its services, find efficiencies
and focus on its true mandate of delivering required care health services.
At the end of March, 2012 the Board ceased the daytime diagnostic service at the
Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre. Only about ten people per day utilized the
service. It received minimal coverage.
The Bermuda Hospitals Board continued to monitor usage of the out‐of‐hours
service, which was open from 4pm to midnight on weekdays and noon to
midnight on weekends, and they found that there were also low numbers evident
– on average 14 people per day, and sometimes as few as one. This service
requires an emergency physician, two nurses, a diagnostic imaging technician,
receptionist and security to be present. As a result, the Board made the decision
to discontinue the service.
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Ultimately, the decision was made to keep the urgent care service as run by the
Bermuda Hospitals Board operating until an alternative could be arranged.
The Ministry has continued to investigate alternatives. Three firms came forward
to express an interest in making use of the building, but these discussions were
not fruitful. As an alternative, the Ministry asked the Board and the Department
of Health to investigate the following:
Move the Department of Health Clinic from St. George to the UCC;
Move the DoH Clinic to the UCC to be operated during the day and have the
BHB operate an urgent care clinic during the evening;
Amend the urgent care services and/or charges to ensure that they can be
provided more economically.
Once these investigations have been completed, I will be in a position to meet
with the MP’s from the East End and to relay a final decision to the public.
Continuing Care Unit
Mr. Chairman, the services of the Continuing Care Unit were also in the news
during the year. As explained earlier in my presentation, the Government
changed the funding model for the CCU in the last fiscal year. Government
provided a grant of $10 million for CCU, but the service costs the Bermuda
Hospitals Board over $14 million a year to run. The Minister of the day asked the
Board to make up the shortfall from its other revenue, while a strategy for long
term care in Bermuda was developed and implemented.
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As a result of the change to the funding model, and the financial strain which this
put upon the BHB, admissions to the continuing care service ceased in March
2013 so that the cost burden could be gradually reduced. Indeed the financial
strain is such that the BHB is having to divert its limited resources away from
other pressing needs to continue to run the Continuing Care Unit. Natural
attrition over time will reduce the complement of residences, but Bermuda
Hospitals Board is committed to caring for the remaining residents while the
service is needed. While the maximum capacity of the CCU is about 121,
currently 90 residents remain, which is 75% occupation.
The Bermuda Hospitals Board’s concern alongside its residents is its staff. As beds
have been vacated, staff in areas affected are either transferring to vacant
positions elsewhere in Continuing Care Services, or have transferred to acute care
services. A staff float pool is covering short‐term and planned vacancies within
Continuing Care and from time to time work in the Medical Surgical Service.
The remaining residents very much need the CCU. It is their home, there are not
enough places in the community to accommodate them, and many cannot be
safely cared for in the community places that are available. BHB has done the
right thing in not withdrawing care but we as a country must find a long term
solution to this problem.
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Quality
Good news about lower hospital infection rates
Rates for both hospital‐acquired Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) and Methicillin‐
resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been decreasing over the last two
years and C. difficile rates are significantly below the Centers for Disease Control
benchmark.
Several measures control the transmission of C. difficile infection, including hand
hygiene, contact isolation precautions, environmental cleaning and good
antibiotic management. Patients who have symptoms are identified early. Onsite
testing allows results within a few hours, which means that isolation precautions
can be implemented in a very timely manner.
Measures to prevent the transmission of MRSA, a bacterium which hospitals
battle against around the world, include hand hygiene, and using high‐risk criteria
to identify and screen patients on admission at risk for MRSA colonization,
screening patients who are transferred to critical care or who have long hospital
stays, implementing contact isolation precautions and thorough environmental
cleaning.
Preventing hospital‐acquired infections is a team effort. These infections can be
present in hospitals, but they are globally recognised as being prevalent in most
communities – including in Bermuda. This means that everyone, including
medical staff, nurses, Allied Health workers, housekeepers, visitors and the
patients themselves impact infection rates. For hospital staff, adhering to the
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WHO’s ‘5 Moments of Hand Hygiene’ has been improving every year and the
Bermuda Hospitals Board is now close to achieving 85% compliance. Patients are
encouraged, however, to ask their healthcare worker if they have washed their
hands if they have any concerns.
Falls Prevention Practice Champions contribute to patient safety
The BHB Falls Prevention Committee is responsible for providing innovative,
evidence‐based, good practice information to clinical staff that will help them
keep patients safe from slips and falls. Reducing the incidence and minimizing the
impact of client falls is one of the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s quality targets.
‘Falls with Injury’ is a key indicator shared with the Board every month. The
overall fall rates have decreased over the last four years, as have falls with injury,
but more importantly, the small proportion of falls that do result in injury are
minor injuries.
While the Falls Prevention Committee provides information and shares updates,
there are individual champions around the hospital. These Practice‐Champions
actively promote good team work and safe practice in their working environment.
Practice‐Champions train new staff in all aspects of falls prevention such as the
inpatient programme SAFE, the outpatient programme WHICH and the paediatric
programme Humpty Dumpty.
Champions raise awareness about the importance of preventing falls, participate
in rounds where fall risks are relevant, encourage staff to speak up for
patient/client safety and remain on the cutting edge of trends and best practices.
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Care Maps Improve Patient Safety and Operational Efficiency
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is currently updating its Care Maps and developing
new ones. Care Maps are like road maps for patient care. They are developed for
the high risk conditions most commonly treated at the hospital. Evidence shows
that standardising care using best practices gives the best outcomes for patients
throughout a hospital. They reduce variances in care practices, giving other
clinicians who may be involved in a patient’s care more confidence in knowing
how an individual is being treated.
Care Maps are developed using best evidence‐based practice, and following their
directions improves patient safety and overall efficiency. The efficiency comes as
clinicians routinely follow the same protocols. This builds familiarity and greater
expertise in their delivery of care.
Although often physician led, Care Maps detail patient care from the very
beginning to the end of treatment, and cover multiple disciplines. This means
that it may come into use before the patient is on a ward. In the case of
myocardial infarction, for example, it may start being used in the ambulance or
Emergency Department. In this case, the Care Map for myocardial infarction
would set out what should be done at these early stages as well as what should be
done at the far end –detailing rehabilitation and will always allow paths for the
treatment to be changed if the clinical status of the patient changes or dictates.
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The hospital is currently updating and developing Care Maps for total hip
replacement, gall bladder removal, heart attack and pneumonia. They are
commonly used at KEMH and have been effective in some gynaecological
conditions, C‐sections, paedeatric tonsillectomies and paediatric asthma. It is
anticipated that Care Map usage for the conditions mentioned will be standard
practice by September, prior to the move to the new Acute Care Wing.
Blood Donations
Mr. Chairman, having supplies of blood available for therapeutic treatments and
for emergencies, is vital to the healthcare service on island. A major focus for
some time has been to encourage more Bermudians to donate. I had the
pleasure of launching a drive that will encourage corporations to support their
employees and their families becoming donors. Earlier in the fiscal year, there
was also a Summer Blood Drive, which included prizes of cell phones donated by
Digicel, and the support of young, local athletes who helped promote the drive.
Three hundred and sixty‐one people donated during the drive with 60 of these
being new donors.
Currently, less than 2% of Bermuda’s eligible population, or about 1,100 people,
are donors. The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that in developed
countries like Bermuda, about 6% of the population donates. WHO also reports
that in many jurisdictions, 30% of donors are under the age of 25. In Bermuda,
less than 4% of our donors are under 25. Younger people are desperately needed
to donate. The Bermuda Blood Donor Centre is responsible for providing a ready
supply of life‐saving blood to the hospital, which uses about 35 to 45 pints of
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blood each week. Donated blood is used for cancer patients, mothers and babies,
accident victims, surgical patients and other people with anemia.
People wishing to donate should contact the Blood Donor Centre at 236‐5067 or
email [email protected] to learn about becoming a blood donor.
New Services and Equipment
Stress Test Treadmill
Mr. Chairman, it is often thanks to the generous giving of the Hospitals Auxiliary
of Bermuda that the Bermuda Hospitals Board is able to purchase replacement or
upgraded equipment. Following the inability of the Board to repair its ageing
stress test treadmill, the Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda donated $25,510.90 for
the purchase of a GE Case Treadmill which opened to patients in November 2013.
About 25 to 30 patients undergo exercise stress tests each week. Exercise stress
testing involves monitoring a patient’s heart while he or she uses a treadmill. The
test is used to help diagnose heart disease caused by cholesterol plaque deposits
in the arteries supplying blood to the heart, called coronary heart disease. This
test is also used to assess how a patient with known coronary heart disease is
doing with current treatment. Along with an ECG machine, a treadmill exercise
stress testing machine is one of the cardiologist’s most powerful tools in the
diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease.
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Mental Health
Mr. Chairman, the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute operates under a Government
grant and has essentially had the challenge of developing and evolving its services
during time of great challenges. Twice in the last three years the grant been cut,
as successive Governments have sought to manage the economic downturn, and
on top of this financial pressure, recruitment challenges have further impacted
the mental health service, at a time of rising demand.
The pressure to not only sustain, but improve services, sits heavily on the
shoulders of an extremely committed staff. The economic pressures felt by
individuals in the community are leading to a higher need for mental health
services. People suffering from stress, anxiety, depression as well as psychotic
illnesses and substance abuse all rise during difficult times, and the financial
challenges families are feeling can mean they need to turn to the services at the
Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute, as it can be too costly to cover private psychiatry‐
related fees.
While demand has been increasing and budgets have been reduced, the Bermuda
Hospitals Board has also had to manage with a reduced number of consultant
psychiatrists and residents due to recruitment challenges and the time frame
required to complete the new‐hire process. Unfortunately, this has begun to
result in longer wait times for people seeking their first scheduled appointments
at the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute. I would stress that this did not impact
people requiring emergency treatments and interventions.
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Filling the vacant positions will improve the hospital’s ability to provide timely
appointments. But in order to manage the flow and meet Bermuda’s needs, an
additional consultant clinic was opened on Wednesday mornings in order to
decrease this initial wait time for scheduled appointments. This clinic offers a
walk‐in service to address acute concerns that either current or new service users
may have and allows for the efficient initiation of treatment on an inpatient or
outpatient basis.
Another area that has challenged the mental health service has been appointing a
permanent consultant for the Child & Adolescent programme. Recruitment
efforts are ongoing but, unfortunately, in the meantime the child and adolescent
assertive outreach programme, full day programme and ASD clinics are currently
on hold, with medical coverage being provided by the resident and two adult
psychiatrists.
Despite recruitment and financial challenges, the following improvements have
been possible because of the people working at MWI and their dedication to a
vulnerable population who often experience stigma in their homes and
communities.
Metabolic clinic
Mr. Chairman, it might not be widely known, but international literature has
noted a potential for adverse cardio‐metabolic effects associated with
antipsychotics. In response, US and UK organizations have developed monitoring
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guidelines aimed at proactively identifying areas of concern for further
management. In December 2012, new metabolic monitoring guidelines were
finalized at the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute.
A medical clinic has run on the MWI campus for many years. It was essentially
established when the medical clinic at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital was
closed, as the service user population were particularly vulnerable. This MWI
medical clinic has expanded its hours from 1 July 2013, essentially to provide
medical follow up for general physical concerns, and also to manage referral for a
medical review of all service users started on antipsychotics for enduring mental
illness. The goal is to identify and initiate treatment of co‐morbid cardiovascular
condition in MWI’s service user population as it was recognized that the medical
needs of this population were often unmet.
Forensic psychiatry
People with mental health issues who are also within the prison and court system
need the support of mental health services. A psychiatrist with expertise in this
area has been hired by the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute. Dr. Westerlund
carries out weekly psychiatry clinics at Westgate and the Coed/Prison farm. In
August of 2013, Court Services launched the Mental health Court Pilot with one
acute East service user as the first candidate. The Programme has since expanded
to six service users. Since then, Dr. Westerlund has also commenced a forensic
clinic at Court Services in November, which will enable him to review service users
in the mental health court or affiliated with Court Services.
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Mental health first aide course
Mr. Chairman, education is one of the key ways to help a community overcome
the stigma of mental health. Becoming familiar with the signs that someone
might display when close to a crisis can help avert the crisis, if an individual is able
to assist. In the 2012 Mental Health Awareness Week, the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness
Institute launched the Mental Health First Aide Course.
This course is specifically for community members, especially those working in
jobs where they are frequently dealing with members of the public. It is run by
two psychologists from MWI, who are both Bermudian, and were trained by the
person who originally developed the course in Australia. The basic idea is that
people often will go on medical first aid courses to help someone with a physical
crisis, such as a heart attack.
Why not do the same for mental health? The first open admission course of
Mental Health First Aide took place in December 2012. There were 14
participants, including three from community partners, one from MWI and ten
from King Edward. Training professionals who work on the front line of the acute
care medical hospital can often ensure a more sympathetic and understanding
experience for someone suffering from a mental health and medical issue. Since
then, regular courses have been run, and have been consistently well attended.
The last one was held in June and included approximately 25 participants. In
total, since inception, there have been nine classes and 164 participants.
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World Mental Health Day
Mr. Chairman, the education for Mental Health Awareness Week this year was
around mental health and older adults. The goal was to open the conversation
about mental health and seniors and encourage people to either come forward
themselves, or to be more aware of their parents, grandparents and friends in this
group. Older adults dealing with mental health challenges often face both the
discrimination of ageism and the stigma of mental illness. Bermuda is not unique
in this regard, but these damaging attitudes can lead to further barriers when it
comes to providing care. And leaving mental health issues unattended can have
more serious consequences down the line both from a mental health and medical
perspective.
Like the rest of the world, Bermuda is seeing an increase in the population of
older adults. While many seniors continue to lead active, vital and productive
lives, some older adults are at increased risk of mental disorders. Addressing
these issues can assist seniors to maintain their independence, self‐worth and
physical health. The key to maintaining mental and physical well‐being as we
grow older is preventing illness and intervening early when problems do occur.
With an appropriate care plan, many older adults return to their previous level of
functioning.
Events for mental health week included the launch of the MindFrame PhotoVoice
exhibit, which provided an insight into the experiences of people using services at
MWI through art, photography and creative writing.
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Children and Maternity
Autism Workshop Addresses the Needs of our Community
Child and Adolescent Services partnered with the Child Development Programme
and Bermuda Autism Support and Education (BASE) in May to offer a series of
well‐attended workshops related to autism. Dr. Rhiannon Luyster, Assistant
Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Emerson
College in Boston, presented to both healthcare professionals and members of the
public.
A service gap exists for families dealing with autism, and these workshops
provided the necessary training for agencies in Bermuda to establish an Autism
Spectrum Disorder Assessment and Diagnostic team to address the needs of our
community. The objective is to provide resources within Bermuda for making
accurate and timely diagnoses and providing early interventions to families
dealing with autistic children.
About 19 healthcare professionals participated in a two‐day workshop on ‘Autism
Diagnostic Observation Schedule,’ a tool used for assessing and diagnosing autism
spectrum disorders across ages, developmental levels and language skills. A
shorter workshop, attended by over 40 people, focused on early identification and
assessment for counsellors, teachers, paraprofessionals and behavioural
therapists.
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Moving forward, it is anticipated that a local team will be available to perform
Autism Spectrum Disorder assessments which will greatly enhance continuity of
care for service users and their families.
Art Camp Provides Social Experience for Children
Child and Adolescent Services also held a special camp for nine children between
the ages of six and fifteen over the Spring break in April. Designed to meet the
needs of children who have various social skill deficits, and, as a result are not
always able to participate in regular camps, the programme enabled these
children to safely enjoy a fun camp experience. Art and photography were
incorporated as vehicles for the children to express themselves. Activities were
designed to develop skills in artistic expression, self‐expression, conversation,
team‐building, non‐verbal communication, frustration tolerance, friendship‐
making, problem‐solving, emotional development and personal creativity.
Child & Adolescents also ran their regular summer camp, which this year was
called ‘Express Yourself’. It ran for seven weeks to teach and reinforce pro‐social
behaviors. Attendance provided consistency and reinforcement in learning,
allowed for a smooth transition period back to school and achieved positive
results for each camper. Activities included arts and crafts, photography,
movement and dance, swimming, computers, nature excursions, team challenge
activities, puppetry and sensory‐based play opportunities for younger campers.
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New Practice Improves Outcomes for Newborns
The Maternity and Special Care baby units introduced a new practice that involves
delaying cord clamping and benefits newborn babies.
For many years, the practice in most of the western world was to clamp the cord
within a few seconds after the baby was delivered. Recent studies, however,
demonstrated that a 30 to 60 second delay in cord clamping had some important
benefits for the baby. At any one time, about one third of the baby’s blood
volume is in the placenta. Immediate cord clamping prevents this blood from
returning to the baby. A delay in cord clamping allows the blood to do so. For
term infants it has been shown that there is a lower incidence of iron deficiency
anaemia at age six months when cord clamping was delayed.
New reclining chair
Last year, the special care baby unit (SCBU) organized a day of activities at the
Botanical Gardens to celebrate the families of former premature and ill babies
cared for on the unit. The ‘SCBU Reunion Day’ was a huge success, attended by
hundreds of people and also served to raise funds for the purchase of a new
reclining chair. Used by parents of babies being treated in SCBU, the new chair is
very comfortable, promotes breastfeeding and encourages skin‐to‐skin contact
between moms and newborns.
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Seniors
NICHE Workshops to Improve Care for Seniors in Hospital
Mr. Chairman, while attention is often focused on seniors and long term care, it is
important to understand that a high proportion of patients in the hospital for
actual acute illness are also over 65. This age group requires a specialized
approach. It is known that they can often present with a disease differently to a
younger person. They do not complain of pain as much, for example, but might
become confused or disoriented easily. To ensure staff members at the King
Edward VII Hospital are skilled for this vulnerable group of patients, a training
programme called Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders, or NICHE, is
being rolled out. To date, 50 Registered Nurses have been educated in NICHE.
Education is ongoing this year, and as well as the nursing staff, the Nurse
Auxiliaries will attend a NICHE workshop designed for them.
Activities In the Continuing Care Unit
Mr. Chairman, despite the changes to the long term care services provided by the
Bermuda Hospitals Board, a strong activities calendar is organized every month by
a dedicated Activities Team in the Continuing Care Unit. This is to keep seniors
and young disabled active and engaged. Activities included a hat show, seniors
sports day and a special spa day which was provided as a donation by a
community member. Additionally, about $58,000 was spent on a new van for the
residents so that regular external trips could be organized.
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Palliative Care
Mr. Chairman, a new service introduced at Agape House last November, provides
outpatient psychosocial support for palliative care clients. With a focus on
wellness and enhancing quality of life, this Day Hospice is offered once a week on
Monday from 10:00am to 3:00pm. The service encourages attendees to benefit
from peer support by participating in facilitated group discussions. A range of
activities, led by a Registered Art Therapist, includes working with mosaics,
painting and bead making. In addition, there is therapeutic massage, Reiki and
meditation. While finding suitable space and finances was an initial challenge, a
partnership between the Bermuda Hospitals Board and Friends of Hospice, with
outside donations, means the service is currently offered without charge.
Essentially, the Bermuda Hospitals Board provides the venue and Friends of
Hospice provides staff, volunteers who are trained as companions, art materials
and refreshments. Participants at the Day Hospice need a referral from a GP,
PALS nurse or from an Agape House staff member.
Technology Update
Mr. Chairman, the overall budget for the entire Information Technology Services
Budget is just over $5 million dollars, including salaries and capital. This budget is
expected to oversee all the IT needs of our hospitals, ensuring that front line care
remains safe and of a high quality. Although I will speak to two major projects,
the limited finances of the Bermuda Hospitals Board has seriously limited the
resources it has to invest in this area, and it has forced hard decisions to be made
about major projects.
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BHB’s Integrated Electronic Medical Record Project
BHB initiated an Electronic Medical Record, or EMR, project in 2012 as part of its
strategic plan as the successful implementation of an integrated EMR is proven to
bring many benefits to patients, most notably:
Improved patient care – through easy access to accurate, timely and
complete clinical information, a reduction in errors and conformance with
up to date evidence based protocols.
Faster and better communication with other healthcare providers through
two way electronic communication. Ultimately the hospital’s EMR would
become part of an island‐wide electronic health record, which would bring
many additional benefits to healthcare in Bermuda.
Improved efficiency through readily available information, reduction in
duplication of diagnostic tests, elimination of unnecessary paperwork and
process complexity, and availability of information for analysis, supporting
the planning of future services.
Greater patient involvement in their care with the opportunity for patients
to electronically access their records and participate in decisions about
their care through a patient portal.
Conformance to internationally recognized information governance
principles, including role based access controls to systems and auditing of
access in order to meet the public’s expectations for confidentiality and
security.
There are eight internationally agreed stages for EMR adoption, with stage
zero being no record and stage seven being the development of the island‐
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wide electronic health record. 81% of US hospitals and 66% of Canadian
hospitals are at a higher stage of adoption than BHB as of the end of 2013.
To advance this project, the Bermuda Hospitals Board appointed a project
director to lead the BHB EMR project. He took up the post in August 2012.
Successfully implementing an EMR is difficult. The Bermuda Hospitals Board had
wanted to introduce the EMR before the move into the new hospital in 2014, but
this would have demanded a greatly accelerated timetable that would have been
highly risky from both procurement and implementation aspects.
Progress
Following agreement at the Hospital Medical Staff Committee, two clinical EMR
committees were set up early in the project. These two committees, one
representing physicians and the other nursing, provide the key clinical input and
leadership for the project. Their work has covered the scope of the project, a
structured assessment of possible vendors and their solutions including indicative
costs, consideration of benefits and risks, plans for the future of the existing
paper charts and documenting current processes and possible improvements.
A “Request for Information” was issued to a number of suppliers last year,
including established market leaders, new entrants that are gaining traction,
largely at smaller community hospitals, and commercial suppliers supporting
open source products. An initial filtering was carried out eliminating a number of
suppliers who failed to meet the requirements.
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A business case was developed and presented to BHB’s Senior Management
Team. The business case included five options:
Do nothing – simply maintaining existing systems and processes.
Do minimum – making full use of existing systems, upgrading them only
when justified and replacing only systems that can no longer be kept fit for
purpose. Justification would depend on separate business cases linked to
process improvements. Upgrades could also include improved interfacing
between systems.
Open procurement of an integrated system – the conventional approach
with a “Request for Proposals” issued to a range of vendors, followed by a
process to evaluate responses and select a preferred supplier.
Local development – this would depend on in‐house or contracted
resources to develop an EMR specifically for the Bermuda Hospitals Board.
Best of breed – this is the alternative approach to an integrated EMR, best
of breed systems are implemented for each major clinical service and
interfaced to create the EMR.
The preferred option in the business case was the “Open procurement of an
integrated system” from one of the established market leaders. The “Do nothing”
option was rejected because it failed to meet any of the objectives and Bermuda
Hospitals Board’s current mix of multiple electronic information systems and
paper charts combined with varied methods of recording and communication of
essential clinical information made it difficult and time consuming to deliver high
quality clinical care.
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The “Do minimum” option was initially rejected as being only a short term
solution with additional investment required in the future. The “Local
development” option was rejected as unrealistic as even large healthcare
providers that had developed their own EMRs are now purchasing commercial
systems. The “Best of breed” option was rejected as it is currently very difficult to
effectively integrate information from multiple systems from different vendors,
resulting in a trend away from such approaches.
The business case was strongly supported by the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s
Senior Management Team, but this would require an investment of between
$14.8 million and $24.5 million for the total cost of ownership over five years.
These costs might be offset by savings but the payback period for a conventional
capital purchase would have been seven years plus. Alternative methods of
funding including financing and charitable donations were investigated but it was
fundamentally difficult and very risky to make such a large commitment when
BHB, and Bermuda as a whole, were in such a very tightly constrained financial
situation.
In the current environment, realistically, the Bermuda Hospitals Board decided
that the “Do Minimum” option would have to be pursued as the only financially
viable option in the current financial climate and the only one that could show
demonstrable progress in the short term. All the other options either required a
large investment, failed to meet the objectives, or could not be taken forward at
this time.
Despite the fact that the “Do Minimum” option is not ideal, it has the great
advantage that it decouples system and process improvements from the need for
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major investment. Investment can be made in an incremental fashion when
funds are available and when expenditure is justified. Process change can also be
introduced in a modular way, which is a better fit with the capacity of an
organization, already going through a major change program with the move into
the new hospital.
By actively pursuing the “Do Minimum” option, whilst consciously planning for
the ultimate goal of a modern integrated EMR, many of the process
improvements that will eventually have to be made can be introduced in a
controlled way with minimal risk and whilst maximizing the benefit from existing
systems. BHB will be heading in the right direction and be ready and more
capable when funds are available to make the move to the modern integrated
EMR and to be more knowledgeable so the right long term option is chosen at
that time.
To take forward the “Do Minimum” the clinical EMR committees have considered
and ranked the priorities for the organization from a clinical perspective. The
priorities are:
Medical transcription service improvements, including the use of speech
recognition.
Peri‐operative and anesthesia system replacement.
Clinical information reconciliation, principally allergies.
Direct electronic data capture of clinical information.
Remote access.
Clinical information system usability improvements.
Computerized physician order entry, including order sets.
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Single sign‐on for clinical systems.
These priorities are in addition to planned routine upgrades to several of BHB’s
existing clinical IT systems that are needed to ensure that they can be properly
supported and maintained.
Conclusion
Although the project has not progressed as quickly as originally planned, there is a
clear way forward that is realistic given the difficult financial situation, and that
will leave the Bermuda Hospitals Board ready for a move to a modern integrated
EMR when that situation improves. The long term plan is to implement the EMR.
Lawson Implementation
A new system called Lawson was introduced at the Bermuda Hospitals Board that
automated the materials ordering and supply process and also replaced some
financial systems. The initial budget for this project was just over $2 million, but it
is expected to improve governance, due diligence as well as efficiency within the
organization. It will also help address some of the issues raised by the Audit
Review.
The Lawson Supply Chain module is an integrated procurement and distribution
solution that standardizes and automates processes, provides greater visibility,
controls inventory reducing costs associated with excess, expired and obsolete
stock, improves shipping, delivery and optimizes vendor relationships.
The Lawson Enterprise Financial Management module helps improve
transparency, strengthens financial discipline, and provides the opportunity to
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greatly improve project and asset tracking, turnkey analytics, dashboards and
robust reporting capabilities.
Still in the process of implementation are a Human Resources and Payroll module.
Lawson’s payroll module meets the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s unique payroll
requirements without customization. The process automation cuts the payroll
processing time in half, significantly reducing the overtime currently needed to
complete payroll. The Human Resources module will provide a single system of
record for information, ease of benefit enrollment and deduction processes,
easier retrieval of required data and the ability to constrain and evaluate staff
usage and needs across the health system.
Clinical Engineering (Biomedical) Implements a new Computerized Maintenance
Management System
A modern web‐based Computerized Maintenance Management System, or
CMMS, has been introduced for Biomedical Services, and potential savings are
expected from moving to this modern, more automated CMMS. Organizations
introducing this system have seen productivity gains of 5% to 30%, with biomed
equipment technicians using handheld mobile devices to download their work
orders, input parts and labor, view equipment maintenance history and diagnostic
data, refer to a graphic parts book or map, scan a barcode label and other useful
functions.
The system also increases the focus on measurement, and provides the Senior
Management Team, Board and managers with detailed information about the
management of the organization’s assets. The annual maintenance budget for
biomed, including contracts and parts is $1.4 million. The savings expected from
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the introduction of the system are expected to be in the order of over $250,000.
The following is a breakdown of expected savings:
The expected reduction in unplanned breakdowns is expected to save 5 to
10 percent.
Work productivity gains are expected to be in the region of 5 to 10 per
cent.
Improved outage planning and backlog management savings are expected
to be between 3 and 5 per cent.
Improved inventory management is expected to result in savings of 3 to 5
per cent.
Being able to implement the right maintenance strategy is expected to
result in 3 to 5 percent in savings.
Informatics ‐ Maximizing value of investment in clinical systems
Because there are extremely constrained finances at the Bermuda Hospitals
Board, outside of Lawson, the emphasis has been, and into the next fiscal will
continue year to be, on ensuring current systems are utilized to their full
potential. Typically, IT solutions are implemented to solve for a specific business
need. However, most systems have much broader use, leaving many IT systems
underutilized.
The Bermuda Hospitals clinical systems have traditionally been underutilized, with
many features never being used. Through engagement by the Clinical Informatics
team, clinicians will be exposed to a continuous learning culture which goes
beyond initial adoption.
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Human Resources
Mr. Chairman, staff costs make up over 65% of all costs at the Bermuda Hospitals
Board. In part, this is because it is a large organization, second only to
Government, and hospital services require a large number of highly skilled health
care and support staff. However, this number is high even by global hospital
benchmarks, which generally aim for about 60%, and the Bermuda Hospitals
Board is currently focusing on building a positive and competent workforce while
maximising efficiencies and productivity.
The total headcount at Bermuda Hospitals Board has been declining every month
since July, from almost 1,850 to about 1,780. This figure includes full time
equivalent positions, as well as casuals, students and locums. If you dig deeper,
and look only at the full time equivalents, the trend has followed the same
direction, from about 1,625 in July to about 1,530 in December. Of this number,
1,142 were Bermudian or Spouse of Bermudian, and 388 were guest workers.
The guest workers work predominantly in the healthcare professional categories.
In nursing about 59% are guest workers, in Pharmacy, Diagnostic Imaging and
Pathology about 60% are guest workers. However, in allied health only 15% are
guest workers, with 85% Bermudian, and in administration – which includes
finance, human resources, secretarial, information technology, project
management and leadership – 95% are Bermudian, with only 5% guest workers.
Bermuda Hospitals Board saw about 40 people retire in the current fiscal year. I
would like to pay tribute to these employees, many of whom have worked many
years at the hospitals. To ensure efficient workforce management, any employee
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working beyond 65 needs a business case approved to continue, and every
vacated position is reviewed before anyone is hired to fill the vacant post. In this
way, reductions in workforce numbers can be achieved, where appropriate,
helping to control costs.
Scholarships
Mr. Chairman, to encourage future generations of Bermudians into healthcare
positions, the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) awarded $80,000 in scholarships
for this fiscal year, paid over two years, to six students studying in fields that are
projected to be in demand by the hospitals. These include Speech Therapy,
Nutrition, Physiotherapy, Radiology and Nursing. The Bermuda Hospitals Board
also administers a scholarship for GlaxoSmithKline, a Bermuda‐based subsidiary of
GlaxoSmithKline plc. This once again was an award of $30,000 to support two
Bermudian students studying Pharmacy and Psychology. All the scholarship
winners demonstrated a strong commitment to service in the community and the
hospitals, as well as maintaining a solid academic performance.
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is committed to investing in Bermudian students
pursuing careers in healthcare. It is competing in a global market with a shortage
of medical professionals, and needs Bermudian healthcare professionals not only
for clinical front line care, but the future leadership of health in this country.
The scholarship winners for this fiscal year were:
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Brittani Cann‐Fubler, Masters degree, Human Communication
Sciences/Speech Therapy at The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom ‐
awarded $20,000 over two years.
Allison Outerbridge, Masters degree, Nutrition/Clinical Dietitian at University
of Tennessee, USA‐ awarded $20,000 over two years.
Julesa Robinson, Masters degree, Physical Education/Physiotherapy at
Canterbury Christ Church University, United Kingdom‐ awarded $20,000 over
two years.
Shuntee Ford, Associates degree, Radiology at Keiser University, USA‐ awarded
$10,000 onetime payment.
Regina Dill, Associates degree, Nursing at Bermuda College, Bermuda‐
awarded $5,000 onetime payment
Selena Swan, Associates degree, Nursing at Bermuda College, Bermuda‐
awarded $5,000 onetime payment.
Tiffany Smith, Masters degree, Pharmacy, University of Hertfordshire, United
Kingdom‐ awarded $15,000 this year from GlaxoSmithKline.
Kelly Savery, PhD, Psychology, University of Manchester, United Kingdom –
awarded $15,000 this year from GlaxoSmithKline.
As the awards are multi‐year, the total number of scholarships students
supported in 2013 included new and prior year winners. This total adds up to 27
students receiving $248,284 in 2013, with GlaxoSmithKline, supporting 2 students
with $30,000
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Training
Out of 15 BHB employees who started a Coding and Transcription programme, 14
completed the prorgramme in this fiscal year ‐ 10 as coders and 4 as
transcriptionist. The total investment in this programme was $120,000, which
averages out at$8,521 per employee.
GED programme
Mr. Chairman, the Bermuda Hospitals Board also tries to encourage its staff who
might not have achieved their GED to do so. Forty four staff members have
participated in the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s GED Programme since its inception
in January 2011. Courses in math and English, social studies and science prepare
students to achieve their General Education Degree. In 2013, eight staff members
achieved their GED as a result of this programme. The total investment from the
start to December 2013 has been $25,9000, which averages out to $588 per
employee.
E‐learning
Given Bermuda’s remote locale, onsite learning plays a useful role in keeping staff
current. To address this need, the Bermuda Hospitals Board offers computer‐
based programmes for the delivery of e‐learning opportunities. Swank Healthcare
provides accredited on‐line courses geared for 18 different disciplines and also
offers a general education portal that provides courses for a wide range of staff
members. Courses are offered free of charge to staff members and cover
disciplines as diverse as Clinical Laboratory Services, EMS, Medical Records,
Nursing Aide/Nursing Assistant, Physiotherapy and Social Workers. The majority
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of courses provide CE/CME units and all courses are accredited. Sessions reflect
evidence‐based practices and 15 new courses are introduced each month,
assuring information is current.
Hyperbaric Staff Achieve International Certification
Two nurses achieved Certified Hyperbaric Registered Nurse (CHRN) status this
fiscal year. The hyperbaric chamber at the hospital is used in wound care and for
scuba divers suffering from decompression sickness. In order to qualify for this
designation, they had to complete a minimum of 480 hyperbaric work/practical
hours and attended a recognised 40‐hour primary hyperbaric medicine course.
Patients going in the chamber are now being looked after and cared for by RN’s
who have an internationally recognised certificate in this speciality helping ensure
patient safety, quality care and adhering to best practice standards in this service.
Community Activities
MWI Pre‐Heritage Day Parade
Mr Chairman, having community activities for the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute
helps reduce the stigma experienced by individual service users by involving the
community. Last May, MWI held its 20th Annual Pre‐Heritage Day Parade.
Hundreds of people lined Devon Springs Rd as floats, dancers, drum majorettes
and other participants marched, walked and entertained the crowds. Service
users from the Learning Disability and Vocational Rehabilitation Programmes,
along with clients from Child and Adolescent Services, community homes, Orange
Valley School and the Opportunity Workshop took part in the parade. Floats and
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costumes reflected the theme “What a sight! Do you see that?” which focused on
Bermuda’s culture and scenery.
MindFrame
It was the seventh year for MWI’s annual MindFrame PhotoVoice Exhibition
which is held in the Bermuda Society of Arts. About 80 service users were
involved, and they submitted 150 entries. The theme was “Do you see what I
see? Take a closer look”. Organised by MWI’s Occupational Therapists, the
exhibition provides participants with an artistic outlet for expressing how they
feel, what they are experiencing and how they view the world. It can also change
the view of the community of these people, as they get to see services users as
artists, writers and photographers rather than identifying people solely by any
mental health challenge they may have.
Diabetes and COPD free health screenings
Bermuda Hospitals Board offered free health screenings in the lobby at King
Edward VII Memorial Hospital in November as part of this month’s Chronic
Disease Management campaign. Free lung screening was provided for people
over 40 years of age, to test for lung diseases, as well as blood sugar, blood
pressure and waist measurement screening.
Originality Matters: BHB seeking student messaging on the new Acute Care
Wing
The Bermuda Hospitals Board and Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust invited
local students to get involved in developing a messaging campaign on the move to
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the new Acute Care Wing. The competition asked students to create promotional
material of any type. The Bermuda Hospitals board recognises its obligation to
keep Bermuda informed about its move to the Acute Care Wing and this was a
way to involve students in the process and inform them at the same time.
Asthma
Over 200 people turned up for a screening arranged by the Bermuda Hospitals
Board in May at City Hall for World Asthma Day. The event, co‐sponsored by the
Department of Health, Open Airways and the Bermuda Hospitals Board focused
on educating people about the importance of controlling asthma and using
medications appropriately and in a timely manner. In addition to screening for
asthma, 15 people were assessed for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
(COPD).
The need for screening remains important because more people have been
turning up to the Emergency Room with asthma complaints over the past few
years – a sign patients are not keeping their asthma under control or using their
medications as indicated. This trend may reflect current economic challenges, as
people turn to the ER for help with controlling their asthma rather than visiting a
GP where there is a co‐pay.
As I know my Honourable Colleagues will appreciate, the cost of an ER visit is
much greater than an office visit with a GP. In the end, the burden of rising
healthcare costs impacts everyone. This screening and education event helped to
promote the importance of control in order to minimize interventions.
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Donations
The Hospital Auxiliary of Bermuda (HAB) approved an allocation to the BHB in
2013 in the amount of $400,000 to purchase capital equipment for the hospitals.
Of these monies, to date, the HAB’s donated funds have purchased the Cardiac
Treadmill. Funds have also been committed for purchasing a Transportation
Wheelchair Bus for the Mid‐Atlantic Wellness Institute for $100,000 and upgrades
to Six Fetal Monitors in Maternity at an approximate cost of $37,000. With the
remaining funds, the HAB expressed an interest in seeing quotes for Blood
Pressure Machines and Dialysis Machines.
The total number of adult volunteers at the moment is 551, comprising 239 active
adult volunteers, 216 inactive adult volunteers who are still very important to us,
as they support us by sending in their membership dues every year, and 96 candy
stripers. In 2013 the total volunteer hours were 34,381 to support the Pink Café,
the Gift Shop, BHB Information desk, the Barn and the concessions trolley.
Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust
Mr. Chairman, the community has been very supportive of the Bermuda Hospitals
Charitable Trust’s ongoing capital campaign, Why it Matters. The Trust continues
to work diligently to raise the additional $10 million needed to successfully reach
their fundraising goal of donating $40 million in support of the KEMH
Redevelopment Project. The Trust is looking for support from every resident in
the final months of the campaign, as every contribution helps to transform our
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island’s hospitals.
Books and educational materials donated to Gosling
Thanks to the generosity of two members of the public, children on Gosling Ward
now have an entire library of new books and other educational materials.
Donated by John and Alice Carr, reading advocates and philanthropists, the books
will be used by inpatients and family members visiting sick children, as well as by
the teacher who visits the ward daily to assist our smallest patients keep up with
their schoolwork.
Looking forward: Projects for 2014‐15
Financial Sustainability
Mr. Chairman, I talked extensively at the start of this brief about the financial
sustainability planning that is underway at the Bermuda Hospitals Board. This
work will continue into the upcoming fiscal year, and will result in a strategic
reshaping of services in line with the needs of the country. The hospitals funding
model, and the regulation of the healthcare system will also be a focus of
attention this year.
We are aware, for example, that there are a number of services the hospitals
provide that are not legislated for. This includes long term care, as well as certain
specialties. Many of these services are provided by the BHB for free and whilst it
cannot be estimated with certainty at this stage the figure could be as high as
$20m per annum. These services are often required in Bermuda, and we will
work closely with the Bermuda Hospitals Board to decide whether they are best
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delivered by the hospitals and, if so, how we reconcile the fee system so that
patients are not left with unexpected bills from treatments or consultations.
Legislation
Mr. Chairman, as the Bermuda Hospitals Board looks to reshape its services, it
needs to be consistent with legislation. As previously mentioned, the legislation
governing the Bermuda Hospitals Board is over forty years old. It is therefore
timely that the legislation is properly reviewed and updated to reflect the needs
of the country. This work will begin this year as part of the strategic reshaping of
the hospitals.
New Acute Care Wing Move and Existing KEMH Facility (Operational Readiness)
The major project for this year will be the transfer of acute care services to the
new acute care wing. As previously noted, the move is expected to take place in
September. It is not a simple process. Work to prepare staff for the transition
process, as well as learning to function and operate in new spaces, requires
extensive planning, testing and orientation. This means BHB staff are not only
having to manage the day to day work of a busy hospital, but make time to
prepare for the move to the new acute care wing. They are calling it ‘The Big
Move’ at BHB. It has been a major focus internally for a year and in the upcoming
fiscal year, the community will be receiving more and more information to ensure
everyone knows what is moving when and how services will change.
A key point to make is that not everything is moving. High traffic outpatient
services such as blood and urine tests, physiotherapy, occupational therapy,
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mammography, hyperbaric and wound care, the Blood Donor Centre are not
moving. Also not moving are the Intensive Care Unit, Maternity, and Gosling, the
children’s ward. An alternate level of care ward, which is already functioning in
Gordon Ward, will remain, as these are not acutely ill patients. Finally, the
Continuing Care Upper and Lower Units will transfer to the old King Edward
facility in an effort to consolidate services into this space rather than trying to
keep the ageing Continuing Care Unit functioning. The Alzheimer’s Related
Diseases Unit, ARDU, requires a different kind of space for its residents as they
have much more challenging behaviours. At this point in time there are no
options within King Edward that would ensure an appropriate environment for
these clients.
Maintaining Safety
A key focus for the Bermuda Hospitals Board has to be maintaining safety through
the new acute transition and beyond. The next Accreditation Survey with
Accreditation Canada, which measures the Bermuda Hospitals Board adherence
to set patient safety standards, will take place in May 2015. However, adherence
to the standards should take place every day and testing that this is so will remain
a focus for the Quality Team, especially as major changes must not distract staff
from their primary responsibility of keeping patients safe. There are new
standards at each survey so work in this fiscal year will include the introduction of
the new standards.
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Diabetic Foot Clinic
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is seeking to reduce the number of amputations in
Bermuda through the formal establishment of a Diabetic Foot Clinic. The project
is being driven by Dr Annabel Fountain. Work is underway with regards to
funding and a full business case is being developed to support its establishment in
the coming fiscal year.
24 hour Hospitalist Programme
The introduction of the Hospitalist Programme in 2008 initially caused concern in
the community, but it has most certainly raised the standard of care in the
hospitals. Mortality rates in the top six disease categories dropped from 21% to
6%, length of stay has decreased and patient satisfaction with physicians is
consistently in the high 90 percent range. When reviewing the programme,
however, it was felt that improvements could and should be made. For a start,
the communication and cooperation between hospital and community physicians
can be improved to make the transition easier for patients being admitted to and
discharged from the hospital. Additionally, it is noted that the Hospitalist
Programme would be improved by having an on‐site hospitalist 24 hours. At the
moment, house officers are on‐site overnight and hospitalists are on an on‐call
rota. This can cause delays in care overnight. The Bermuda Hospitals Board has
been approved to move to a 24 hour hospitalist service. This will reduce the
reliance on house officers, and reductions in these numbers will fund an increase
in hospitalist numbers.
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Improve Patient Care Communication
Mr. Chairman, it is recognized around the world in hospitals that it many of the
complaints and safety issues relate to patient care communication. Ensuring
patients are empowered to ask questions, and receive clear advice and
explanations is vital. Communication between healthcare providers, whether
written, typed or verbal, must be clear. Bermuda Hospitals Board is working to
use technology to help it improve continuity, hand‐offs and communication, and
this will progress in the coming fiscal year. The hospital will also look at more
efficient and timely solutions for its transcription service, which has suffered from
delays in this fiscal year due to staffing.
Compliance with evidence‐based standards
Work will continue to introduce more clinical pathways to help standardize
treatments. This is proven to raise standards, while improving efficiencies and
safety. The Bermuda Hospitals Board will audit compliance to ensure that the
benefits are being realized, and will seek 90% compliance with congestive heart
failure, myocardial infarction, pneumonia and at least three national surgical
quality improvement programme metrics.
Technology Road Map
Using the IT roadmap outlined by the Chief Information Officer, Bermuda
Hospitals Board is addressing known issues while transforming its information
system into a strategic asset, contributing toward an efficient and premium
healthcare service. The goal is to strategically position the Bermuda Hospitals
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Board to successfully deliver a scalable Information Technology infrastructure
which will effectively support the new medical facility. The roadmap details a set
of critical projects and activities spanning the fiscal year that will deliver
improvements to the continuity of business operations at BHB.
It should be noted that the new acute care facility includes a new data centre that
will serve both the new and existing facility. The switchover from the existing
location on the fifth floor of the existing building will be carefully managed well in
advance of the move to ensure no disruptions to services.
Final Phase of Burlodge Programme
Finally, the finale to a multi‐year programme of improving food at the hospital,
will take place in June 2014, when the B‐Lean food production system will be
introduced. This will be a new fast food style order picking system that will
increase the speed and accuracy of preparing patient trays.
Mr. Chairman, as I wrap up my budget brief, I would like to formally thank the
Board, management and staff of the Bermuda Hospitals Board in their ongoing
commitment to not only high clinical standards, but also the drive to greater
transparency and accountability that has been undertaken this year.
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Special recognitions goes to the Chairman, Mr. Jonathan Brewin, for his
leadership, the deputy Chair, Mrs Lucille Parker, and other Board members Mr
Thad Hollis, Ms Jeanne Atherden, Ms Kathryn Gibbons, Dr Colin Couper, Miss
Cratonia Smith, Dr Andrew West, Dr Alicia Stovell‐Washington, ex‐officio voting
member from the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust, Mrs Wendy Augustus and
ex‐officio non‐voting members, Dr. Michael Weitekamp, Chief of Staff, Dr. Cheryl
Peek‐Ball, Chief Medical Officer and Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr. Kevin
Monkman.
Finally, I would like to pay tribute to Mrs Louise Jackson, who was on the Board up
until her passing in December 2013. She was an outspoken and committed
member of the Board, bringing all her passion for patients, seniors and quality
care to the table.
Mr. Chairman, this ends my presentation for Head 24.