Psychiatrists withdraw service from Whitehorse General Hospital over safety concerns

Yukon psychiatrists say they won't offer services at Whitehorse General Hospital until their concerns over safety at the hospital's secure medical unit are addressed.

Last week a psychiatrist working in the unit was assaulted by a patient. A letter obtained by CBC Newssigned by four of the territory's psychiatrists says they told hospital officials about their concerns a day before the assault took place.

"We've endured numerous 'near misses' due to pressure to provide inpatient psychiatry at a hospital that is ill-equipped to do so," the letter reads.

"For many patients ... the inadequate environment itself forces us to keep patients in seclusion for unethical periods of time as the only 'safe option,' which is at best a human rights violation, and at worst incites aggression and violence as observed in this incident."

In the letter, the psychiatrists call for a streamlined process for medevacingpatients in need of psychiatric intensive care and at least four security staff on shift at any one time.

The letter also calls for "code white" training for all hospital staff. Code white refers to a situation involving violent or out-of-control patients. The Yukon psychiatrists say that training should take place annually, but that it hasn't happened at WGH for 14 years.

"This is truly terrifying," the letter reads, before acknowledging that some code white training was scheduled to start this week.

Hospital corporation says it's boosting security

The secure medical unit contains five beds and two "seclusion rooms" that offer 24-hour care for people with mental health diagnoses. That includes "involuntary" patients who are there because they pose a risk to themselves or others and who may be in police custody.

It's not clear whether the patient who allegedly assaulted the psychiatrist was an involuntary patient. The doctor's condition is also unknown.

Chris Huestis, a spokesperson for the Yukon Hospital Corporation said the patient involved in the incident is still in the secure unit. Huestis couldn't say whether the person faces criminal charges.

Huestis did say the the hospital is beefing up security in response to the incident. "We're putting in additional security coverage in terms of people in the unit,more constant observation of people," he said"We're also looking at increasing other risk management protocols."

Government plans new secure unit

In 2018, the hospital opened a $72-million, two-storey expansion that included anew emergency room. It also included space for a new secure medical unit that was planned for a later date.

In the legislatureTuesday, the opposition Yukon Party called for the government to speed up construction.

"The question here, the important part here is the fact that the government needs to deal with this issue," said opposition leader Stacey Hassard. "They should have dealt with it a long time ago."

Health minister Pauline Frost said the government has budgeted $1 million in the next fiscal year for planning work on the new unit. She said construction wouldn't begin until 2022.

In the meantime, she said psychiatric services are still available outside the hospital and that the government is working on ways to provide more mental health services.

"We are working with the hospital corporation to look at what transpired, what can we do different and how can we assist the hospitalsto mitigate any issues like that in the future," she said.