Lamb Foggo UCC to reopen 1 March

22 February 2017: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) will reopen the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre (UCC) on Wednesday 1 March 2017. The east end facility was temporarily closed last month to install new vinyl flooring.

Marshall Minors, Vice President, Facilities Management & Estates, comments: “In addition to the flooring we also conducted minor repairs and upgrades to the facility. This included painting, installation of a shower stall, accreditation recommendations, and exterior glazing repairs, and storm water drainage improvements for the ambulance bay.

“The work was scheduled outside of hurricane season and ahead of the America’s Cup and busy summer season. We apologise for any inconvenience caused, but the public will be better served with the improvements now in place.”

BHB Chief of Emergency Services Dr Edward Schulz said: “We are happy to have our east end facility available to serve the community again. We are experiencing a busy flu season and the UCC reopening will certainly be convenient for many who require care at night and/or on the weekends.”

The public are reminded to use the BHB emergency services wisely and visit their GP if their situation is not urgent.

General Consent Form to take full effect on 30 January

26 January 2017: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) wishes to remind the public that all patients have to expressly consent to their care before medical treatment or services can be afforded.

The General Consent Form was introduced in August but started with a few departments. On Monday 30 January, this requirement will be applicable in all departments located at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Traditionally it has been assumed that anyone attending the hospital wanted treatment. Introduction of the General Consent Form now formalises this relationship. The General Consent Form covers routine medical care and non-invasive procedures. Simply put, it is your consent to care. It is worth noting that BHB has always required consent forms for invasive procedures such as surgery and blood transfusions, and that use of these will continue.

Members of the public do not have to sign the form, but failure to sign it means no treatment or services will be given.

Processes are in place for those who are vulnerable and unable to sign on their own behalf. These processes will be extended and used with this additional consent form.

Members of the public can visit the BHB website to review the form as well as frequently asked questions and answers. Anyone requiring more information about the form can telephone 239-1553.

• BHB General Consent Form
• BHB General Consent Factsheet

Notes to Editors
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is a quango (quasi autonomous non-governmental organisation) established under the Bermuda Hospitals Board Act, 1970. It has a Bermuda Government-approved Board and a Chief Executive Officer, responsible for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. At the heart of both organisations is high quality care to all patients.

With approximately 1,700 employees, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is Bermuda’s second largest employer. King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute are the only healthcare organisations in Bermuda accredited by Accreditation Canada, an independent organisation whose role is to help hospitals examine and improve the quality of care and service they provide to their clients. In addition to providing an extensive list of services for the community, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is part of a referral network that includes some of the world’s leading specialist hospitals.

For more information, please visit www.bdahospitaldev.wpengine.com or contact the Bermuda Hospitals Board Public Relations Department at publicrelations@bhb.bm.

BHB introduces Patient-Centred Medical Home

24 January 2017: Bermuda Hospitals Board has invested in a pilot project to help combat the impact of chronic disease including cost. The Patient-Centred Medical Home (PCMH) programme is an outpatient referral service for individuals with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, who are not currently seeing a GP and who are under- or uninsured.

“The goal is to keep this at-risk group as healthy as possible and help them manage their chronic diseases,” said BHB CEO Venetta Symonds. “This will help reduce emergency department visits, hospitalisations and complications, such as amputation and dialysis, which impact quality of life and are costly to the healthcare system.”

Patients require a medical referral to receive the service. Medical Director of the Programme Dr Stanley James said these referrals will likely come from GPs, the Emergency Department and the hospitalist service.

The pilot programme began on Monday 7 November. It will run for a year, at which time it will be assessed and a decision made on modifications or continuation.

To date, there are 28 patients registered with the service.

“These patients have complex chronic health conditions and the length of each of their visits correlates to the complexity of their medical and social needs. The complex nature of these patients is served by the cooperation of various healthcare providers—pharmacists, dedicated medical social workers, consultants, along with laboratory and diagnostic facilities that are readily available onsite,” said Dr James. “This approach increases these patients’ adherence to their treatment regimen and also decreases the likelihood that they will fall between the cracks.

“With regularly scheduled follow-up calls and return-to-clinic visits, we are better able to provide reassurance to patients, as well as assess compliance early in their journey towards control of their chronic conditions.”

The Patient-Centred Medical Home is staffed by a team of four: Medical Director Dr Stanley James, Nurse Practitioner Myrian Balitian-Dill, Staff Nurse Cheryl Maronie and Administrator Karen Henry. The service is located on the ground floor of the KEMH General Wing.

Notes to Editors
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is a quango (quasi autonomous non-governmental organisation) established under the Bermuda Hospitals Board Act, 1970. It has a Bermuda Government-approved Board and a Chief Executive Officer, responsible for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. At the heart of both organisations is high quality care to all patients.

With approximately 1,700 employees, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is Bermuda’s second largest employer. King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute are the only healthcare organisations in Bermuda accredited by Accreditation Canada, an independent organisation whose role is to help hospitals examine and improve the quality of care and service they provide to their clients. In addition to providing an extensive list of services for the community, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is part of a referral network that includes some of the world’s leading specialist hospitals.

For more information, please visit www.bdahospitaldev.wpengine.com or contact the Bermuda Hospitals Board Public Relations Department at publicrelations@bhb.bm.

Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre one month closure for renovation

18 January 2017: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) Bermuda Hospitals Board today notifies the community that it is replacing the vinyl flooring in the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre (UCC). The UCC will be temporarily closed after Thursday 19 January 2017, and it is expected to reopen for business as usual in mid-February.

Marshall Minors, VP Facilities Management & Estates, comments: “We alerted the public last year that we would temporarily close the UCC for this floor replacement work as well as other minor repairs and upgrades to the physical plant. We are committed to providing an ongoing urgent care service from the UCC facility and this work will ensure the building is safe to deliver care for our patients in the long term.

“We apologise for the inconvenience of the closure, but as anyone who has visited the facility in recent months can attest, the flooring needs to be completely replaced. We wanted to undertake this work outside of the hurricane season, and well ahead of the America’s Cup events and peak summer tourist months. We look forward to reopening the UCC in February and we will update the community once the work is complete.”

While the UCC is closed, some UCC staff have been reassigned to the Emergency Department at KEMH to manage the likely increased traffic. The public are reminded to use the Emergency Department service wisely and visit their GP if their situation is not urgent.

Notes to Editors
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is a quango (quasi autonomous non-governmental organisation) established under the Bermuda Hospitals Board Act, 1970. It has a Bermuda Government-approved Board and a Chief Executive Officer, responsible for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. At the heart of both organisations is high quality care to all patients.

With approximately 1,700 employees, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is Bermuda’s second largest employer. King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute are the only healthcare organisations in Bermuda accredited by Accreditation Canada, an independent organisation whose role is to help hospitals examine and improve the quality of care and service they provide to their clients. In addition to providing an extensive list of services for the community, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is part of a referral network that includes some of the world’s leading specialist hospitals.

For more information, please visit www.bdahospitaldev.wpengine.com or contact the Bermuda Hospitals Board Public Relations Department at publicrelations@bhb.bm.