Step One...Write a letter

Below is a copy of the email I have sent to the premier and the Provincial Health Minister. Please feel free to copy it and send it to your elected representatives, the minister of health and the premier. Together we can make a difference and make sure that no-one has to suffer as Mr. Williams did and that no family needs to have the burden of worrying about how well a loved one is being looked after once they have been admitted to a hospital.

The names of the members of the Nova Scotia Legislature can be found at this link. http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/members/directory/constituencies.html




I am including the contact information for the premier and for the health minister below. Please copy and paste the links as required.

Emails or letters to the Premier, the minister of health and/or your elected represeentative will help.

The Premier of Nova Scotia - Darrell Dexter

Telephone: 902-424-6600
Fax: 902-424-7648
Toll-free Message Line: 1-800-267-1993
E-mail Address: premier@gov.ns.ca

Address:
Office of the Premier
PO Box 726
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2T3.

The Minister of Health for Nova Scotia Maureen MacDonald

Business Address:

Department of Health
4th Floor, Joseph Howe Building
1690 Hollis Street
P.O. Box 488
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2R8

Phone: (902) 424-3377
Fax: (902) 424-0559

health.minister@gov.ns.ca

Department of Health Promotion and Protection
5th Floor, Summit Place
1601 Lower Water Street
P.O. Box 487
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2R7

Phone: (902) 424-5627
Fax: (902) 424-7983

hppmin@gov.ns.ca


Constituency Office:

3115 Veith Street
Halifax, NS
B3K 3G9

Phone: (902) 455-2926
Fax: (902) 455-3929
mmacdonald@navnet.net




Email text sent October 30, 2009 to Premier Dexter and to Minister MacDonald.



The health care system is failing the very people it is in place to help, those who suffer from physical and mental illnesses. Recently the staff at the Aberdeen Hospital in Pictou, Nova Scotia failed to protect and provide a safe environment to a 69 year old man suffering from Alzheimer's and recovering from a heart attack. He spent four days in a storage room, had unexplained bruises on his body, and was bullied and assaulted while a patent at the hospital. A commissionaire at the hospital is awaiting trial on charges relating to one of these instances. If you are unfamiliar with the circumstances in this case please read the story at www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=296985&sc=49.

This is one example of the system failing miserably. As a concerned Nova Scotian I would like to know how this happened and what is and will be done to prevent a repeat of these events. I am sure there are ongoing studies which may or may not have any effect. However I would like the following questions answered now.

1. What is your government doing to ensure that all staff and representatives of the Regional Health Care Authorities, hospital staff members from CEOs to janitors to RNs to doctors to commissionaires and everyone in between, have the skills, abilities, training and attitudes necessary to provide care in a safe and non-threatening atmosphere?

2. What is being done to ensure that all hospital and health personnel coming in contact with patients, especially those with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, are trained in dealing with patients that can become easily agitated?

3. Have all non-qualified staff been removed from having direct contact with patients? If this has not already happened please advise what you are doing to have this put in place?

Your attention and response to this email would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Attitude or Ability?

I am a guest speaker for the Arthritis Society. That means that I volunteer my time (and put gas in my car) to make presentations about arthritis to groups that are interested in learning more about the condition and the symptoms. In early October I knew I would be speaking to two groups during the month and I called the Halifax office of the Arthritis Society to replenish my supply of brochures. I placed my order and thought nothing more of it, until October 14th, the day before my first talk. And you guessed it, the materials hadn't arrived. I made do...found materials and had a variety of brochures and information to share with the 25 or so people present. True I could have followed up sooner and in a less busy month I probably would have, but I put my trust in the voice on the other end of the telephone that had assured me that the materials would be here on time.

On October 21st I finally followed up by called the Halifax office again, only to be told the person I had spoken to earlier was away. After a few minutes of conversation I was assured that the parcel would be sent by bus and that I would have it in lots of time for the October 28th commitment. When I returned home Monday evening (October 26th) there was a voice mail from the bus station saying there was a package for me...great news! BUT the parcel was in Truro, NS which is about 3 hours from where I live. In fact Halifax is an hour closer to me. The parcel had made its way to the wrong depot...not Bridgewater as I had requested but Truro.

This morning I called the Halifax office of the Arthritis Society again. And I think the situation is going to be solved in time for my talk tomorrow. I spoke to the Director this time and she seems to be problem solving by sending a package by courier to a drop off point where someone can pick it up and bring it to the meeting tomorrow afternoon. We had a very direct conversation about my expectations and about the roadblocks that I had been experiencing.

This is an example of a minor irritation...or is it? If this is the level of service that is offered, then how effective is the program planning from that office.

There are really only two reasons why tasks do not get completed in a timely manner...one is attitude and the other is ability. Attitude cannot be changed by anyone except the person involved. Ability may mean that the skills are missing and training is required, or it may mean that the time available is exceeded by the number of tasks assigned. In this case either the person needs to improve efficiency or the system in place needs to be modified so that the completion of promised actions is timely and accurate.

It seems that everywhere I look these days there are examples of misses, near misses, or in the case of Mr Williams in the Pictou Hospital just plain disasters: all because of failure to complete an assigned task. I am tired of the "good enough"attitude I see all too frequently.

I am pleased that my situation with the Arthritis Society appears to be resolved (tomorrow will tell the tale) but I am now wondering just how efficient that whole operation is and how much of the donation dollar is spent retrieving parcels from the wrong destination, resending materials, and other mix ups that I can only guess at.