Northern Health responds to 3,600+ signature petition for independent review of ER diversions

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Northern Health says it’s aware of a petition with more than 3,600 signatures demanding an independent review of emergency department diversions in Fort St. John.

The petition, first launched on July 4th, was created by a local barrister and solicitor who feels the frequent diversions pose a significant threat to the community.

“Fort St. John Hospital and Northern Health facilities across the Northeast have been doing a significant amount of work to fill shift vacancies that would otherwise require service interruptions.” the health authority said in a written statement to Energeticcity.ca.

“In the case of Fort St. John Hospital, all but one emergency department service interruption to date have been the result of gaps in physician coverage.” 

Other communities in northeast BC have seen diversions caused by a lack of both physician and nursing coverage, as well as capacity issues.

According to Northern Health, schedules are drafted weeks or months in advance, and staff work to begin finding ways to cover unfilled shifts as soon as possible.

“It is important to note, until April 2024 Fort St. John had a 100 per cent success rate in finding staff to fill shifts initially vacant at the initial time of scheduling,” the statement reads.

“Of the more than 90 physician shifts in the emergency department in a given month, we continue to fill the vast majority of these, however there are times when all options for coverage are exhausted and a service interruption is required as a last resort.”

The health authority says it’s working right now to fill remaining shift vacancies in July and August, and that communities will be notified if service interruptions become necessary.

It says it’s “aggressively recruiting” healthcare workers and trying to make the Fort St. John Hospital’s emergency department more attractive to doctors and nurses.

“It’s important to note, though, that we are experiencing a health workforce shortage in B.C., as are other provinces and other countries,” the statement continues. 

“The impacts of these shortages are acutely felt in rural and remote areas where recruitment and retention are more challenging, and where there are smaller pools of staff, so one sick call may mean an emergency department must go on diversion.”

According to the statement, Northern Health is working closely with the Ministry of Health to increase recruitment and retention incentives and reduce the impact of the shortage.

Regarding the petition’s calls for an independent review, the health authority says it is “subject to numerous accountability and transparency measures, through internal and external compliance and audit activities.”

“The Ministry of Health and Northern Health continue to work in partnership to identify and meet the ongoing and growing healthcare needs of northern communities, and we’re grateful for the support of the Ministry of Health in making living and working in northern BC more attractive through incentives and other recruitment supports.”