Hospital CEO expresses concern over mental health of staff
The BVI Health Services Authority’s (BVIHSA) Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr June Samuel has raised concerns about the mental well-being of her staff and of the possibility of them experiencing a ‘burnout’.
Staff at the BVIHSA work primarily at the territory’s various clinics and at its main hospital, the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital (DOSH) in Road Town.
Dr Samuel, a trained psychiatrist, said it has not escaped the BVIHSA Board’s notice that the hospital’s system is under stress.
“A big part of the stress has to do with how staff may be feeling and how staff might be feeling has a lot of concerns in there,“ Dr Samuel said on the Talking Points radio show recently.
According to Dr Samuel, staff held concerns about their personal socio-economic situation, their working conditions, and the relationships within the organization.
Dr Samuel said there are also concerns among the professionals and members of the technical team at the BVIHSA about being able to deliver the level and quality of care they know they are capable of doing.
She explained that this was being considered within the context of the staff not having all the resources that are sometimes needed.
“Especially for professional staff; when you are in a situation where you can’t deliver necessarily at the standard that you would like to, it can cause what we call moral injury and that can contribute to stress and burnout,“ Dr Samuel stated.
“As a mental health professional,” she added, “I am very keenly aware of where our mindsets are within the workplace and for me, it is something that we have to address.“
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seems to be a recurrent problem in the BVIHSA which causes low morale among the employees. Health and education are not priorities in the Unity government so the funds are diverted to expensive elevators, air conditioning systems, UK law firms, etc.
Yup they be burned out. Have to work a 40 hour week like the entire planet but in the BVI they get burned out. They prefer the old ways. Work 30 hours get paid for 40!!
YES they work 40 hours week and are on-call for another 88hours for the week because people don’t choose when to get sick. Its not an office that close at 5pm. How heartless.
Thank you. As a doctor in another Caribbean island, I work 8-4pm everyday then I’m on call every other night from 4pm to 8am the next morning then every other weekend. Some people are so heartless and unappreciative.
You think the constant 12 and 24 hour shifts help morale?? No! because people shouldn’t be working 12 and 24 hour shifts…it’s not human…and you doing that in health care of all things? No wonder that hospital just reporting a set of deaths all the time. Hire enough staff and put shifts back to 8 or 9 hours…12 hours the most for doctors!
Evidence of the source of all the medical negligence that is happening. Admission of breach of standard of care, duty of care and causation. Again, where are the solutions.
Close the hospital and export patients.
How many deaths can be attributed to the conditions within the hospital so far.
Why is there not a daily obituary listings published in the VI.
Idkwtfya but you shouldn’t type or speak because you are a literal Jack….
The boards that govern healthcare in the VI need to file their registry of interest documents asap.
Let’s just stop pretending that all is well with the NHI. NHI IS BROKE! There isn’t even enough contributions to cover the staggering private practice bills and they get paid first. Where the money comes from if the contributions are not enough to cover the expenses and big-up salaries is a question the tax payers need to ask.
I guess the mental stress is transferred to patients and their families who have contracted COVID and died in the hospital. Then, not a word of sympathy from the hospital executives. What a crying shame!
She l**. She don’t care. She is the reason staff burnout. Want ppl to give them personal off time to them and them MANDATORY meetings that are foolish btw and don’t want to pay u for being there on your off time. She enables a select few staff to do what they want and up and down micromanaging the place and intimidating ppl. She only pretending to care because she has an audience.
She found it funny when it was the media. Now chickens have come home to roost. Sorry for the victims.
I’d have to agree. She’s very good at pretending and using said degree to intimidate staff.
They always seem to successfully leave the hospital in the wrong hands. CONSISTANTLY!
SHE CAN’T BE F*@$&%# SERIOUS BOUT LIFE
Good Health is Plenty wealth, poor health is been like a paupau..
The same is the case for the government, I read some crazy quotes from Malone the other day
Now that we all know most of the problems what are the solutions, are we going to hire staff in a manner to fill the gaps thst the Cubans are filling and for how long can we hold them us the government going to increase our budget by a few millions more so we can have the shifts covered eg ER EMS that dying daily ICU but firstly the staff need meetings with the CEO and the board who ever there are so naje that fast abd sort the problems
Struggling 2 calls most days
I think teachers and healthcare workers feel it the most. At least Dr. Samuel recognizes her team in crisis. I guess more of us teachers need to retire in order for our CEO to realize we in crisis too, because nobody seems to care.
Absolutely correct! Suffered tremendously from principal and her use of her administrative powers and abuses my entire teaching career.
My mentals were deteriorating as it was not recogized and hence, was not treated. Suffered multiple hardships and struggles along the way, including bouts with a compulsive disorder they viewed as deviant and immoral behavior. And unfortunately, it is still viewed to this day as deviant and immoral behavior, even though every scientific study has proven the contrary and the real cause of addiction..
Yet to the contrary, addiction is a genetic malfunction/disorder triggered by many variables, and mental health is one of them.
Indeed, IT is very regretful that educatoors, administrators and the wider populace have zero knowledge of the topic and instead view it through oppressive moral leneses, false media representations and treat the afflicted accordingly.
The pressure and symtoms grew with each semester.By retirement, the mental condition was and is as fragile as an egg, living proof of the damage on the job opression can create.
In closing, may all be well and healthy and may God deal with those who have caused such wanton and grave harm to individuals.
The staff is already burnt out. Working holidays {12 hour shift} but being paid for 8 hours. Where’s the payment for the remaining 4 hours? The staff is underpaid and undervalued. My heart goes out to the staff of the BVIHSA.
STOP the talking and address the issues at hand. After taxes, some staff are going home with $600 or less. PAY the staff.
Big Bad Potato spoiling the whole lot!?!
Has the new minister met with the staff yet?
No the staff are not important enough to meet with them and get a feel of the problems they face daily. Is there a staff representative on the board? No everything is filtered by management on its way to the board. Has the Board ever meet with the staff? No, they are not important enough. OUR STAFF IS OUR BEST ASSET? No. Staff is just another resource to be used, abused and disposed of accordingly. Is there a pension provided for the longer term workers? Yes certainly is is a half of what the government normally pays its pensioners.
It would be interesting to see the ration of professional and technical staff to clerical and administrative staff. They will not be able to recruit good technical professional staffing until there is competitive compensation and competent HR actions to attract and retain them.
No wonder why there’re so many death and misdiagnosis of people after they die!!!! Everybody is going in there good and not coming out alive, then that BC woman going say they died from covid thus causing the families stress and tormile when they can’t hold a propper funeral for their love ones.
The stress on the job has nothing to do with longer shifts not even late payroll payments. IT IS SOME MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS ESPECIALLY THE LEADERSHIP IN THE ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT. If you want to know bout stress ask the Minister to talk to any employee in that department.
Very true!!!!