Debates of October 26, 2006 (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions will be for the Minister of Health and Social Services in regards to Stanton. Mr. Speaker, Stanton is the main hospital in the Northwest Territories and provides, in my opinion, a very high level of service, and we’ve worked very long and hard over the years as a government to try to improve those levels of service. I think that’s important that people hear that from this House as well so that we can be clear that, yes, this is a complex organization with over 500 staff and a $50 million-plus budget, and yes there are challenges. But there’s also been a number of significant successes. What I’d like to ask the Minister is if he could indicate to this House some of the circumstances as they pertain to our staffing circumstances with doctors and nurses and the type of accreditation that we currently hold them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 197-15(5): Stanton Territorial Hospital - Accreditation Of Staff

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, we are faced with challenges across the whole jurisdiction, whether it’s the smaller communities or larger centres, when it comes to providing health care for people in the Territories. But we have as a government over the years tried to address this through a number of factors, whether we talk about our Graduate Nurse Program, Social Worker Program, and other areas that we focus on in ensuring that we can provide a level of service that is adequate to all people across the Territories.

There are a number of factors involved and I’m at a bit of a disadvantage here, I guess, in the sense that the Member is quite familiar with this file, but we have done a number of things to ensure that the territorial facility here in Yellowknife is providing an adequate level of service, although we are, as I stated earlier, faced with a number of challenges. But we worked with Stanton in ensuring that the services provided meet the requirements of the people that it serves. We’ve adjusted programs a number of ways. We’ve dealt with the Aboriginal Wellness Program. We have the Northern Nurses Grad Program, as I stated earlier. There’s quite a list of things that we do and at this time; for example, the vacancy rates at our facility here in Stanton are down to about 16 percent at this time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Supplementary To Question 197-15(5): Stanton Territorial Hospital - Accreditation Of Staff

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the irritants that has arisen as a result of our attempts, or attempts in the past, to address the fact that we couldn’t get OR nurses and nurses to work in ICU because of the pay and a graduated level of payment was set up for nurses. Now one of the irritants that has come to light is the fact that in some cases you’ll have nurses on the same ward doing the same kind of work but at different pay levels. I’d like to ask the Minister what the department is going to do to address that particular issue. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 197-15(5): Stanton Territorial Hospital - Accreditation Of Staff

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the whole issue of ranking of our nursing staff has come up a number of times over a number of years and involves the union, ourselves, the nursing fraternity, and we’re trying to address this. When the Government of the Northwest Territories went through a job evaluation process and ranked its employees, initially we had come to a conclusion that a nurse is a nurse is a nurse and they were all paid at one level. That was implemented and put in place. The nursing groups challenged that, appealed it. We then went through the process and accepted that we had to redo that work. Looked at again a whole evaluation process for our facilities and the nurses and then came up with a ranked system of specialties. That was implemented and, as well, just as we have to proceed, the process of staffing and service levels in the hospital have been put in place and we’ve now had, for example, two of those levels combined on one ward from time to time. We are now going through the process of making some changes so that those nurses that work on one ward are paid at the same level. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Supplementary To Question 197-15(5): Stanton Territorial Hospital - Accreditation Of Staff

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could the Minister confirm that that will be, I’m assuming it will be worked out with the union and with classification so that there’s no nurses taking a pay cut on this one? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 197-15(5): Stanton Territorial Hospital - Accreditation Of Staff

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we have in the past, in this scenario we’ve worked cooperatively with the union and staff and any changes that are about to occur, as we have in the past, we will protect individuals and positions. But I haven’t seen the full layout of the plan. I’m aware that we are putting it in place to address the concerns that are there today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Supplementary To Question 197-15(5): Stanton Territorial Hospital - Accreditation Of Staff

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finally, just if the Minister could quickly elaborate on the issue of the Dialysis Program. This is an area of significant growth across the North. Stanton is the main site for dialysis, but we’re looking at pilot, not pilot units, but we’re looking at subsidiary units out in the communities like Fort Smith, Hay River, eventually Simpson. If the Minister could touch on the pressures and expansions planned for that particular program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 197-15(5): Stanton Territorial Hospital - Accreditation Of Staff

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess changing gears a little bit from our staffing levels to the actual program side, dialysis is something that has been affected, we have been affected by, and the demand for services can no longer just be delivered out of the Stanton facility. We are looking at expanding that in our other regions where we have high demand and we’re trying to work cooperatively with a number of other departments as well to ensure that we get that in place so people who are affected can get the service closer to home. Thank you.