Peter Bevan-Baker Announces Plan to Get Healthcare out of Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2023
Charlottetown, PE - After four years of a Dennis King government, Islanders don’t feel good about their healthcare system. The number of Islanders on the patient registry has doubled. Frontline healthcare workers are demoralized by understaffing and their working conditions.
A Dennis King government has made healthcare worse, but a Green Government will make it better. Today, Green leader Peter Bevan-Baker announced a plan to get healthcare out of crisis. As part of this plan, a Green Government would:
Ease the burden on the healthcare system
Give all Islanders free access to virtual care services when they need them.
Open more walk-in clinics, such as cough and fever, mobile blood work, and prescription renewal clinics.
Amend the Medical Act to allow nurse practitioners to work more effectively in a collaborative practise or to manage nurse practitioner-led clinics. Both will allow nurse practitioners to take more patients off the patient registry.
Improve and increase mental health services, including by adding counselling positions to family clinics and emergency rooms and reopen the Psychiatric Urgent Care Clinics (PUCCs).
Amend legislation to allow Physician Assistants (PA) to work in healthcare on PEI.
Improve training
Work with UPEI to create a Physician Assistant (PA) training program. There are only 3 universities in Canada that train PAs.
Increase family physician residency spots from 5 to 10.
Make it easier for internationally trained health professionals to practice on PEI.
Take the politics out of healthcare
Amend Health Services Act to remove political interference from the operations and delivery of healthcare on PEI. Make Health PEI independent from the Premier’s Office.
Initiate a feasibility study to determine if a medical school is the best way to address our healthcare worker shortage.
Respect healthcare workers by improving wages and working conditions for all frontline workers.
Quotes:
“Islanders will immediately benefit from this plan. It provides free access to health services when they need them, it expands the ability of Nurse Practitioners to work where they are needed, and it removes political interference from healthcare. Islanders need a healthcare system that helps Islanders where they are and when they need it. A Green government would let Health PEI make decisions on healthcare, rather than having a Premier make political decisions about healthcare.”
Peter Bevan-Baker, Leader of the Green Party of PEI
“In my experience as a family physician working collaboratively with Nurse Practitioners and Registered Nurses, I understand the value of a team-based approach. We must eliminate the barriers that prevent collaborative care. We must create an environment that supports and empowers Health PEI to put into action a plan that meets the health needs of all Islanders, no matter where they live.”
Lana Beth Barkhouse, Green Candidate D6 Stratford-Keppoch and Family Physician
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Jonathan Hamel
Director of Communications
Green Party of PEI
Tel: (902) 916-7816
Email: jonathan.hamel@greenparty.pe.ca
Background: A Plan to Get Healthcare out of Crisis
Healthcare staff are sounding the alarm on our healthcare system. It is collapsing and we must take decisive action if we want to save it. We can’t keep doing the same old, same old that we’ve seen from the PC government and governments before them. Getting our healthcare system out of the current crisis will not happen overnight, but there are many things that can be done quickly to improve care for Islanders. A Green Government commits to finally prioritizing healthcare for Islanders with substantial increases in funding, supports, and services.
Ease the burden on the healthcare system
1. Give all Islanders free access to virtual care services. Consult with physicians on how to best integrate virtual care into our healthcare system.
A Green Government would provide free access to virtual care services at an estimated cost of $6.5M a year. The goal of this initiative is to reduce overcrowding at emergency rooms and walk-in clinics.
We would also consult with physicians to make sure that these virtual services are properly integrated with existing primary care services, and would work with the public to improve their experience with virtual care. According to HealthPEI, 89% of patients would use virtual care again and 71% were satisfied with their experience using virtual care.
Longer-term, the Province would work to develop a public option for virtual care.
2. Open more walk-in clinics, such as cough and fever, mobile blood work, and prescription renewal clinics.
We have heard the concerns of Islanders who struggle to access healthcare services at walk-in clinics. A Green Government would open more walk-in clinics to divert patients away from overburdened Island emergency rooms.
3. Amend the Medical Act to allow nurse practitioners to work more effectively in a collaborative practice or to manage nurse practitioner-led clinics. Both will allow nurse practitioners to take more patients off the patient registry.
4. Improve and increase mental health services, including by adding counselling positions to family clinics and emergency rooms and reopen the Psychiatric Urgent Care Clinics (PUCCs)
The King government is currently building a Mental Health ER co-located with the QEH ER. We have heard concerns with this approach. The ER is a triggering setting for many individuals experiencing mental health crises. ER physicians are also concerned that, if the mental health ER is not adequately staffed, then the work will become another weight on their shoulders.
The PUCC’s were ideal because they were located at a mental health facility. Everyone who works at the facility was trained in mental health support. There were beds that were designed for those who needed to be admitted. We would review the location and set-up of this initiative to make sure that Islanders get the best evidence-based mental health support possible.
5. Amend legislation to allow Physician Assistants (PA) to work in healthcare on PEI.
While Nova Scotia and New Brunswick allow physician assistants to practice in their province, PEI does not. A Green Government would take the necessary steps to allow Physician Assistants to work in the PEI healthcare system by 2024.
Improve training
6. Work with UPEI to create a Physician Assistant (PA) training program.
Currently, there are only 3 universities in Canada that train PAs. As part of our plan to integrate physician assistants into the healthcare system, we would develop an academic program in 2025 to support the education of these professionals.
7. Increase family physician residency spots from 5 to 10
Residency spots are one of the best to recruit doctors; PEI retains 80% of the residents through its partnership with Dalhousie University. PEI currently turns down 50% of requests for undergraduate rotations.
A Green Government would double the number of residency spots from 5 spots to 10 spots in 2024. UPEI is currently building a state of the art simulation lab for medical training. We propose that residents could use this lab to increase their training. We would work with current doctors to come up with a plan to increase our residency seats in a way that would not affect the care that they provide to their patients.
8. Make it easier for internationally trained health professionals to practice on PEI.
PEI has been described as the province with the most red tape for physicians who want to work here. We cannot compete to recruit healthcare workers if we require them to jump through many more hoops than our neighbouring provinces. A Green Government would work with Island’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and other regulatory bodies for health professions to speed up and simplify the process to license internationally trained health professionals. We would simplify the hiring process for physicians and other healthcare providers by allowing Health PEI to hire them, and would reduce the fees paid by these workers to practice on PEI.
Take the politics out of healthcare
10. Amend Health Services Act to remove political interference from the operations and delivery of healthcare on PEI. Make Health PEI independent from the Premier’s Office.
Healthcare works best when we The Greens have long fought against the Dennis King government to remove political interference from the PEI healthcare system. A Green Government would work with Health PEI and frontline unions and stakeholders to complete a full review of the Health Services Act.
In doing this, a Green Government would:
create and support a culture of valued employees — all employees, not just some;
develop and encourage a culture of accountability at all levels within the healthcare system;
allow Health PEI to operate at arm's length from government, without manipulation from politicians;
recognize recruitment and hiring of Health PEI employees must be done by Health PEI;
provide human and financial resources required to fulfill the promises of government and the expectations of Islanders;
adapt regulations and legislation that affect access to care for all Islanders, including scope of practice regulations, the Mental Health Act, etc.
11. Initiate a feasibility study to determine if a medical school is the best way to address our healthcare worker shortage.
The King Government’s approach to the UPEI medical school has not set the project up for success. In addition to numerous delays, the Medical Society of PEI, HealthPEI and physicians have expressed concerns about how it would integrate with our provincial healthcare system.
A report was only recently commissioned within the last month to determine how much support the health-care system would need to provide to students and what needs to be done to prepare, nearly a year-and-half after the Premier prematurely announced the school. A Green Government would take the time to determine whether a medical school is the best way to address our healthcare worker shortage over the long time. The medical school would not produce doctors for PEI for at least another 8 years, and a Green Government would take measures in the interim to address our immediate healthcare shortages, including increasing our family residency positions.
11. Respect healthcare workers by improving wages and working conditions for all frontline workers.
The Green Party believes all Island workers deserve better wages and working conditions. A further announcement will be made next week detailing how a Green Government would improve wages and working conditions for frontline workers.
Full Plan for Getting Healthcare out of Crisis
A Green Government will:
In 2023:
Initiate a feasibility study to determine if a medical school is the best way to address our healthcare worker shortage.
Amend Health Services Act to remove political interference from the operations and delivery of healthcare on PEI.
Simplify the recruitment and hiring of healthcare professionals.
Government will hold Health PEI accountable for providing excellent patient-centred care across PEI while providing the funding and support they need to succeed.
Support family physicians to open medical homes or collaborative practices across PEI by providing them with the flexibility, support, and funding they need to succeed.
Amend the Medical Act to allow nurse practitioners to work more effectively in a collaborative practice or to manage nurse practitioner-led clinics. Both will allow nurse practitioners to take more patients off the patient registry.
Allow pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives and order blood work for prescription renewals.
Immediately invest $37 million directly into wage increases and benefits for frontline healthcare staff at Health PEI. This includes all levels of nursing, medical lab technologists, radiation technologists, porters, cleaning staff, and all others who work on the frontline of patient care.
Immediately fund one additional support staff for family physicians and nurse practitioners who request additional support. This may be in the form of a nurse, counsellor, medical administrator, admin support, etc., based on the needs of the practice.
Review the Rural Physician Program to provide direct financial incentives to physicians who live and practice in under-serviced communities.
Create a Rural On-Call Program to provide remuneration to physicians providing emergency on-call services at eligible facilities in rural areas.
Finally deliver midwifery and improve supports for new mothers.
Give all Islanders free access to virtual care services when they need them. Consult with physicians on how to best integrate virtual care into our healthcare system..
Immediately implement management training for all management within Health PEI. This includes nurse managers, upper level management, and all other health managers. This training will focus on providing effective, psychologically safe, and respectful support for frontline staff and patients.
Reduce illness and keep people out of hospital.
Give workers 10 days of paid sick leave - don’t force Islanders to go to work sick, make their colleagues sick, and then clog ERs and walk-in clinics.
Increase diabetes supports and education to keep people healthier.
Improve and increase mental health services so that people don’t end up needing to be in acute care.
Add counselling positions to family clinics and emergency rooms across PEI.
Reopen the Psychiatric Urgent Care Clinics (PUCCs).
Open more walk-in clinics, such as cough and fever, mobile blood work, and prescription renewal clinics.
Add dedicated health professionals to our ER waiting rooms to provide continual assessment and communication to patients awaiting care.
In 2024:
Build new state of the art medical simulation labs to help in training, research, and professional development.
Amend legislation to allow Physician Assistants (PA) to work in healthcare on PEI. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia already allow PAs to work in their healthcare systems.
Offer employment to all Nurse Practitioner graduates of UPEI. Once the range of care is increased to allow nurse practitioners to work independently, immediately hire additional nurse practitioners to take on patient panels directly from the patient registry.
Implement regional bursaries to registered nurses to train to become nurse practitioners at UPEI. Target RNs currently living or working in underserved regions.
Work with UPEI to allow current physicians and nurse practitioners to use medical labs for research and professional development - an evidence based approach to retention.
Increase family physician residency spots from 5 to 10, supported by new state of the art training technology at UPEI. Physicians tend to stay where they do their residency.
Review family physician salaries and supports in consultation with the medical community to make PEI more competitive with other Canadian provinces.
Review our capacity to train students across all levels of nursing (registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, registered care worker) in PEI.
Make it easier for internationally trained health professionals to practise on PEI.
Work with the medical colleges to speed up and simplify the process for internationally trained health professionals.
Reduce fees that internationally trained health professionals must pay to practise on PEI.
In 2025:
Work with UPEI to create a Physician Assistant (PA) training program. There are only 3 universities in Canada that train PAs.
Hire Physician Assistants to work in our healthcare system.
Increase the training seats for Nurse Practitioners at UPEI with the support of new state of the art simulation technology labs.
