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MRI Service Paused for Support Equipment Repairs

Friday 13 June 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board’s MRI service has been paused following technical difficulties with connections between older support equipment and the new MRI scanner.

Diagnostic Imaging Manager Terricca Smith explained, “Initial issues with our older support equipment started near the end of May, but we thought they had been resolved. This is very frustrating for us and especially our patients. Patients will be rescheduled as soon as we are operational again and we will put on additional hours for them. Although the MRI scanner itself is new, some of the supporting equipment is not and this is where the issue is. The parts and service, however, are covered by the new contract BHB has with its vendor. The parts we need have arrived and an engineer will be flying in this weekend to undertake repairs.”

13 June 2025 News

Ariel Re wins the Corporate Blood Drive for 2024/25

Friday 13 June 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board today announced that Ariel Re is the corporate blood drive winner for 2024/25, the first time a company has won from the insurance/reinsurance sector.

Twenty-one organisations participated this year and all the companies together contributed to 28% of all blood donations, or 494 units.

“The power of this competition is in the collective,” said Dr Eyitayo Fakunle, Consultant Haematologist and Chief of Pathology at BHB. “Every company and every donation makes a huge difference to our community. But a friendly competition can encourage more donations, which is incredibly important to our blood supply in Bermuda, so we want to celebrate the company whose efforts take them to the top. Congratulations, Ariel Re! They knocked three-time winner Freisenbruch off the top spot this year, which is no mean feat. While there can be only one winner, to all competing companies, you have our community’s  enduring thanks and appreciation.”

Minister of Health, the Hon.  Kim Wilson JP MP, joined the Chief Medical Officer Shaun Ramroop, BHB CEO & President Scott Pearman and the Blood Donor Centre leadership and team to present Ariel Re with the winner’s trophy.

“Thank you, Ariel Re, for all your donations this year and congratulations on winning the competition for the first time!” Minister Wilson said. “You have all shown an amazing community spirit and generosity. On behalf of the residents who are here today because you donated, thank you. And to all our Bermuda organisations, please join in the next competition. We need your help in ensuring transfusion services are fully stocked every year to save lives in Bermuda.”

AVP Claims at Ariel Re, Sophia Smethurst commented: “Ariel Re is thrilled to win the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s Corporate Blood Drive for the first time. While the recognition is meaningful, what matters most is the impact we have made together. Donating blood is a simple act that saves lives, and this is a powerful reminder that even small contributions can make a big difference. I am so proud of my colleagues who rallied with me. Some are already donors and some donated for the first time. This drive has shown the strength of our team spirit and our shared commitment to giving back. We hope we can continue to make a difference, one drop at a time.”

The competing companies in this year, in order of their final ranking:

  1. Ariel Re
  2. Freisenbruch
  3. Hiscox
  4. Fortitude Re
  5. Renaissance Re
  6. Ascot BDA
  7. Aspen
  8. Teneo LTD
  9. Conduit Re
  10. AON
  11. Athene Re
  12. Barcardi
  13. Sompo
  14. Willis Towers
  15. Butterfield & Vallis
  16. Bermuda Monetary Authority
  17. MS Re
  18. Hamilton Prin.
  19. Talcott Re
  20. Argus
  21. Hannover Re

Companies who want to join can email blood.donor@bhb.bm or call 236-5067.

13 June 2025 Home Page, News

Dr Anna Neilson-Williams appointed as chief of staff

Thursday 8 May 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board today announced the appointment of Dr Anna Neilson-Williams as chief of staff at BHB, having acted in the role for almost a year following the retirement of Dr Wesley Miller. The chief of staff position reports to the CEO & President Scott Pearman.

As chief of staff, Dr Neilson-Williams will lead BHB’s team of medical and support personnel. The position is the most senior medical role at BHB and is responsible for the supervision of medical and dental care given to patients and residents in BHB facilities. The chief of staff role ensures patient safety, sound clinical governance and building positive relations with the physician community.

Dr Neilson-Williams was previously the chief of psychiatry. A recruitment process for that position will now be started.

Mr Pearman comments: “I’m genuinely pleased to announce Dr Neilson-Williams as chief of staff. She has proven herself in this role for the last year and brings to it great leadership skills and a very well-rounded physician experience in mental health and primary care. Her leadership and skills will most certainly help us navigate a challenging healthcare environment while continuing our drive to improve quality and safety.”

Dr Neilson-Williams was appointed acting chief of staff in April 2024 and has been chief of psychiatry since 2022. Dr Neilson-Williams joined BHB in 2000 and served as acting chief of psychiatry from 2021. She is also a consultant psychiatrist, managing clients with a range of mental health conditions and patients on the psychogeriatric unit at MWI.

As BHB’s director of continuing medical education since 2014, Dr Neilson-Williams has managed and developed presentations by international healthcare experts to educate physicians on advances in medicine, technology, research and changes to the healthcare environment. Dr Neilson-Williams has further served as the lead physician managing the integrated care pathways and other care initiatives between BHB and wider community. Prior to her senior physician roles within BHB, Dr Neilson-Williams worked in Bermuda as a general practitioner .

Dr Neilson-Williams says: “A year acting in this role has given me a solid grounding in the issues we face at BHB, and I’m really looking forward to continuing some of the great programmes that are in motion, such as the Integrated pathways for trauma, burns and the hospitalist service. Our vision of pursuing excellence through continuous improvement keeps quality as the focal point for physicians at BHB, working in partnership with our community doctors to improve services for the community.”

Dr Neilson-Williams is a graduate of The University of Glasgow and has a master’s degree in transcultural mental health with distinction through Queen Mary’s The University of London, UK. Dr Neilson-Williams was recognised as a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2022 for contributions to the field of Psychiatry.  She also has a diploma in leadership and management, and certifications in value-based healthcare through Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Public Mental Health Leadership through the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

8 May 2025 Home Page, News

Update on bed boarding status at KEMH

Thursday 3 April 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board today provided an update on its bed situation.

CEO & President, Scott Pearman comments: “Following the initial crisis, our surge response included opening up additional space and doubling patients in two of the larger ACW acute care unit rooms on each floor. A really big thank you to our staff for stepping up in that moment. We had conversations with our teams and union partners to address concerns. This, along with a concerted focus working with patients and families to increase discharges, helped alleviate pressure.

“The number of people waiting for a bed in the Emergency Department initially went down by nearly 50%. Some additional space was closed due to the improvement, though the rooms with two patients in the ACW remained. However, overall we continue to face sustained pressure and BHB remains at Alert Level 2. Along with the immediate responses to real-time surges, we continue to work on longer term plans, such at-home monitoring and bed flow improvements to provide relief.”

Current situation

  • ED boarding has averaged 13 patients over the past 7 days, with a rising trend in the last four days—from 10 to 19 boarders.
  • Discharges have outpaced admissions only once in the past 5 days
  • Boarding levels remain above the threshold for relief action

BHB response:

As pressure is rising again, BHB is once again opening additional space. This action helps open beds faster, reduce backup in the Emergency Department, and eases crowding across inpatient units without compromising care. We will continue with our current surge actions, such as having two patients in certain ACW acute care rooms.

Bed capacity is reviewed by a team of BHB staff from across clinical and support units twice a day, and the organisation will continue to monitor the situation to ensure we respond appropriately, based on the data.

Other ideas for improving BHB’s response to surges are being worked on by a BHB staff and leadership task force, along with longer term solutions that may help us discharge safely earlier, or avoid admission altogether, such as at-home monitoring equipment, which would allow the hospital to monitor an individual at home, rather than have them waiting in hospital.

3 April 2025 News

Diagnostic imaging equipment upgrade improves quality and reliability of service

Wednesday 26 March 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board announced today that it is undertaking a programme of replacing or upgrading aging diagnostic imaging equipment at KEMH, following increasing issues with repairs and maintenance impacting imaging services.

Modalities being replaced include x-ray, CT, MRI, nuclear imaging and ultrasound. This equipment is at or beyond its expected lifecycle.

BHB Chief of Radiology Dr Daniel Stovell comments: “People will be aware that increasing repair and maintenance issues have impacted services over the last couple of years, so I’m extremely happy to see our replacement and upgrade programme begin. We are the only 24/7 emergency diagnostic service in Bermuda and people who come through our doors on the worst day of their life need the best possible diagnostic equipment available to properly diagnose what is wrong.”

“At BHB, we see some of the most complex illnesses and diseases on island, and our CT service supports the radiation therapy at Bermuda Cancer & Health Centre,” adds Dr Stovell. “Our imaging services are truly a community resource and now the equipment is not only reliable, but is faster, uses less contrast and radiation and produces the best possible quality images.”

BHB Manager of Imaging Services Terricca Smith notes: “Our diagnostic imaging equipment is absolutely critical across many services, from emergency and inpatient to outpatient diagnostics. It helps our clinical teams and community physicians diagnose and treat everything from strokes and cancer to broken bones and heart disease. We have extended the life of much of our equipment with the support of our vendor and our amazing internal biomedical engineering team. This reflects the challenging economic times we are in, but the equipment now needs replacing and upgrading. We are really excited about being able to give our local community access to a high-quality diagnostic service that is available around the clock. This is a service of which the whole island can be extremely proud.”

To date, the MRI and a CT and x-ray machine have been replaced or upgraded. An upgraded x-ray and new CT machine are in the process of being installed and the new ultrasound machines are now operational. Later this year the x-ray at the Urgent Care Centre and the nuclear imaging equipment will be replaced.

BHB CFO Arthur Ebbin advises: “The payment structure and cost discounts given by the vendor are incredibly helpful. It is a critical purchase for the hospital on behalf of the Bermuda community, who all benefit from having the highest quality diagnostics available to them.”

To make the replacement programme more affordable, BHB has structured payments to the vendor over time. The $12 million, five-year investment includes a comprehensive package of replacements, upgrades, installation and ongoing service. Philanthropic support, through the efforts of the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Foundation, will be essential to making this programme a reality.

26 March 2025 Home Page, News

KEMH through road closed Tuesday 25 March 2025

Sunday 23 March 2025: The KEMH through road from just past emergency up to the Healing Garden parking area will closed from about 7am to 5pm on Tuesday 25 March 2025.

Access to the Point Finger Road Visitor Car Park for Acute Care Wing services, including Emergency, will be from the Point Finger Road side only.

Access to park in the Berry Hill Visitors Car Park and Healing Garden car parks for General Wing services will be from Berry Hill only.

This closure is to accommodate the arrival of containers on the KEMH site. If this work is interrupted by rain, the hours the road is closed may be extended. Please drive carefully and follow any instructions from onsite personnel.

23 March 2025 News

BHB moves to Alert Level 2

Wednesday 19 March 2025: This afternoon, the actions of staff to free up six additional acute care beds by putting two medically fit for discharge patients in two of the larger acute care wing inpatient rooms, as well as a number of other patients being ready to be discharged safely, has improved the situation at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital from an unprecedented peak of 34 people waiting for inpatient beds yesterday (Tuesday).

As of this afternoon there were 20 people waiting for an inpatient bed, although eight of them now have beds assigned, meaning that there is a bed becoming available in the near future. As operations were normalising, it has been decided to move BHB to Alert Level 2, which means that we are still on alert but no longer in an active response mode.

Acting Chief of Staff Dr Anna Neilson-Williams noted, “Our staff have done a fantastic job to manage the current pressure. While there was a required crisis response yesterday, our focus is still on finding ways to reduce the pressure where we can. We also appreciate the support and collaboration of patients, families and healthcare partners as we worked though managing these issues.”

A trial is already underway by the Digital Health department who are testing remote monitoring devices that could mean people do not need to be admitted, or can be discharged earlier if they are generally well enough but still need some level of monitoring. A taskforce comprising BHB doctors and nurses is also looking at other possible solutions that might not resolve the significant external issues regarding community support and care, but may help make improvements internally, or will strengthen BHB’s ability to escalate during peaks.

19 March 2025 News

BHB update on Oncology service

Wednesday 19 March 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board today explained what is being done to stabilise oncology services following its two chemotherapy nurses being unable to work for unrelated and personal reasons.

Chemotherapy nurses are specialist nurses who are trained to give chemotherapy treatments to cancer patients. BHB has two nurses, with an additional nurse who is currently in training and still requires supervision. Recruitment has begun for additional chemotherapy nurses as the two nurses, who have provided an amazing service for many years, are close to retirement.

Chief of Nursing, Judy Richardson comments: “The sudden impact of our situation was only known on Monday. We have reached out to local partners, all of our clinical partners and nurse agencies to bring new resources to the island as soon as possible. Everyone in the oncology team is working to provide as much coverage as possible, but a significant number of chemotherapy treatments have been delayed. Patients for whom any delay in treatment will impact their outcomes, or those who have complex or specialised therapies that require chemotherapy nurse skills, will be supported in seeking overseas care. While we hope we can resume normal services in about a month, new oncology patients will also be referred overseas until we have chemotherapy nurses on island.

“We are so sorry for this impact, especially as we had just completed recruitment to fill our oncologist roles. The formal recruitment for chemotherapy nurses is ongoing with a sustainable training plan being developed with overseas affiliates. We are also exploring the recruitment of locum nurses as temporary resources as they can be organised more quickly.

“We will provide an update to the community as soon as we have secured locum resources,” Mrs Richardson adds.

19 March 2025 Home Page, News

BHB moves to Alert Level 3 due to capacity issues

Tuesday 18 March 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board today upgraded its alert level to 3, with 4 being the highest, in response to growing pressure within King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, primarily driven by the number of medically fit for discharge patients causing a record number of people waiting for inpatient beds.

At one point this afternoon, 34 patients were waiting for beds. There were over 40 patients medically fit for discharge still in hospital, and all additional areas with available beds were being used.

To increase capacity, with immediate effect, two of the larger Acute Care Wing inpatient unit rooms on each floor will take two medically fit for discharge patients per room. As there are three units, this will open up six additional rooms for patients needing acute care.

The patients doubling up will be patients who are medically fit for discharge. The arrangement will impact visiting for these patients. They will be limited to one patient each at a time. Additional space in the Orthopaedic (Fracture) Clinic is already being used by four patients who are waiting for acute care beds, and available space in the children’s and maternity units are being used, as is created space in the long-term care units.

“This is an incredible pressure on our staff and hospital services,” says Acting Chief of Staff Dr Anna Neilson-Williams. “We have had to accelerate plans to increase capacity urgently today and this is helping us reduce numbers in the Emergency Department, but overall we are still under great pressure. We are grateful to our staff once again standing up to the plate. Our Emergency team has been under extreme pressure for many months, and it is being felt in our other units as they accommodate more patients.”

Chief of Nursing, Judy Richardson adds: “The community see the pressure when they come to the Emergency Department and find people being cared for on our corridors, or when they visit their loved ones in overflow units. Our staff are caring for increasing numbers of people and this is felt across clinical and support services. The changes we are making are helping us through this crisis, but in the long term we need solutions in the community for an increasing frail and elderly population.”

Acting CEO and Chief Operating Officer Preston Swan, stresses that families who are able to, must pick up their loved ones if they are medically fit for discharge.

“We understand that some people are very vulnerable and while they are medically fit for discharge from an acute care unit, they may have care or medical needs that must be in place in the community before they can leave. However, this is not all patients. We implore people who can take their loved ones home to do so. Every bed we can make available makes are big difference. There are other unwell people needing care.”

Chief of Emergency, Dr Chikezie Dean Okereke stated that the Emergency Department is currently facing unprecedented capacity issues and it is imperative that people only come to Emergency Department if absolutely necessary.

“If you can wait to see you doctor, please call and book an appointment,” Dr Okereke says. “People who experience significant trauma, have stroke symptoms, chest pains or serious bleeding etc. must come to us for care, but we ask that people with general aches, pains, or worries not requiring urgent attention to please contact their GP instead. And if you do need to come, please be aware that if your symptoms are not critical you are likely to have a long wait before you see a Physician.”

Dr Okereke stated that due to the space constraint issues, patients are advised to only attend with one person carer if absolutely necessary.”

 

18 March 2025 Home Page, News

BHB introduces two new oncologists

Wednesday 12 March 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is very pleased to introduce to the community its two new oncologists, who recently joined BHB.

Dr Dagmara Poprawski and Dr Bhanu Bandlamudi joined BHB in February and are now seeing patients.

Acting Chief of Staff Dr Anna Neilson-Williams comments: “I’m so pleased to be able to welcome Dr Poprawski and Dr Bandlamudi to Bermuda and BHB. They are highly qualified oncologists who will be a great addition to the oncology team. Their experience and expertise are going to be of great benefit to our patients. They join Dr Alisha Tucker in the Oncology team. This means we now have three fulltime oncologists available and can offer our usual in- and outpatient oncology services.

“I would also like to thank our community partners for their continued collaboration and support working to maximise oncology care provision in Bermuda, especially the Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre and PALS.”

Dagmara Poprawski, BHB Consultant OncologistDr Poprawski joins BHB from the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre in Saudi Arabia, where she worked as a medical oncology consultant from October 2020, mainly within the King Abdullah Center for Oncology & Liver Disease. Among her previous positions, she served as a senior medical oncologist and chief investigator for the Northern Adelaide and Mt Gambier Hospital in Australia.

Having gained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 1992 from the University of Adelaide, Dr Poprawski also has a graduate diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene and a master’s degree in clinical tropical medicine from Mahidol University in Thailand. Dr Proprawski achieved her certificate in geriatric oncology from Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy.

Dr Proprawski is a member and fellow of many societies and colleges, including the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, European Society of Medical Oncology, Medical Oncology Group of Australia and Private Cancer Clinicians of Australia. She is a member of the editorial group of QPW Cancer Journal, a member of the Emirates Oncology Society, and vice chair of the Exercise in Oncology Subgroup of Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer.

Bhanu Bandlamudi, BHB Consultant OncologistDr Bandlamudi joins BHB from Subha Comprehensive Cancer Care in India, where he worked as a consultant in medical oncology and radiation oncology from February 2020. He previously worked in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Uttar Pradesh, India.

In 2011, Dr Bandlamudi gained his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada. He achieved a postgraduate medical degree (MD) in radiation oncology in 2016 from Kasturba Medical College, Manipa, and a specialised Doctor of Medicine in medical oncology from Jawaharial Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in 2019.
Dr Bandlamudi is a Member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology, American Society Radiation Oncology, European Society of Medical Oncology, and Indian Society of Medical and Pediatric Oncology.

 

12 March 2025 Home Page, News