Restigouche Hospital Centre safe for patients, says Vitalit

Despite a damning report from the New Brunswickombud and a recent death at the hospital, the CEO of the Vitalit Health Network says the Restigouche Hospital Centre is safe.

The psychiatric centre in Campbellton has always been staffed above levels required for patient safety, GillesLanteignesaid Tuesday,although he suggested it could use more staff for its rehabilitation role.

Later in the day, a lobby group blamed Langeigne'scentralized management system for problems at Restigouche and other Vitalithospitals.

galitSantenFranais called for a change in the Vitalit structure to fix problems identified by provincial ombud Charles Murray in a report last week about the psychiatric hospital.

Murray said vulnerable patients, who come from all parts of New Brunswick, had been mistreated.

His report also spoke about "chronicunderstaffing" at the hospital, which has left employees unable to do training and "curtailed management's capacity to discipline or correct staff."

Two days after Murray's report, a 38-year-old patient died.

Lanteigne said members of the management team were on hand Saturday to speak with concerned family members of patients. Additional staff also came in to help colleagues who, as a result of Murray's report, started remembering other incidents at the hospital, he said.

"It was an unfortunate situation for us," Lanteigne said.

Vitalitordered reports

Lanteigne saidVitalitwas aware of problems after the hospital opened in 2015, which is why the network ordered two reports about it in 2017.

Vitalitdrew up an "action plan" based on the reports to help change the culture at the centre.

"A culture where you're really trying to support staff in order to acquire the abilities and the knowledge they need to do rehabilitation work with patients," said Lanteigne

Murray said in his report thathis office considered ending its investigation, but after Vitalit's reports, "progress appeared to be slow," so the ombud picked up the pace.

Death unexpected

Lanteigne called the death of the patient on Saturday "unexpected" but would not discuss the cause or circumstances.

Vitalit and the RCMPare investigating the death.

Both Murray and the province's former child and youth advocate, Bernard Richard, have said an almost completed youth centre at Restigoucheshould be moved, and Health Minister Ted Flemming has already delayed the opening, originally scheduled for the end of this year.

Lanteigne saidVitalit is still moving forward with the psychiatric centre for youth.

"Construction is continuing and we're certainly in there providing services and continuing to do so until there is a change in orientation," said Lanteigne.

Network too centralized, group says

Lobby groupgalit Sant en Franais said it believesthe management structure implemented by Lanteigne when he became CEO is the root of problems with the health network.

Dr. Hubert Dupuis, president of galit Sant en Franais, said the situation in the RestigoucheHospital Centre is just an example of how Vitalit's centralization of management has caused what he calls "a crisis of health care services."

Dupuislisted 12 examples of issues across the province, including ashortage of staff in theChaleur Regional Hospital obstetrics unit, a shortage of emergency physicians in Caraquetand the overcrowding of emergency roomsat most hospitals.

The groupis renewing calls for a decentralization of management to allow for power of decision making at the hospital level.

Dupuis said the way management is centralized now, staff at the local levels do not know whom to go to if they have problems.

He said the changes brought by Lanteignehave been a failure.

"It's his administrative structure, this was supposed to be better than sliced bread when he came in."

Lanteigne said claims of a health-services crisis bygalit Sant en Franaisareunfounded.

"We're more than satisfied that we put in place the best structure," Lanteigne said.

New Brunswick ombudsman Charles Murray said his assessmentis that there was never enough clinical psychiatric experience acquired at the Restigouche centre but saidhis report focused on patient care, not administrative structure.

"The problem is from the top down," Murray said.