Five-year strategy published for services at MWI

Tuesday 21 June 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board has published a five-year strategy for Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute services. The MWI Directorate Plan 2021-2026 was developed following the launch of the BHB Strategic Plan 2021-2026 last year. It provides a pathway for mental health, intellectual disability and substance use services.

R Scott Pearman, Deputy CEO, says: “I’m very proud to see the Plan published after an incredible amount of hard work by MWI staff and clients, through a very challenging period. It highlights work with international and local partners and supports the over-arching BHB vision ‘To pursue excellence through improvement, to make Bermuda proud.’”

Acting Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Clinical Operations (MWI) Preston Swan says: “The strength of the Plan is to provide us with a roadmap to truly transform services and experiences for our clients. While dovetailing to the BHB vision, MWI staff and clients defined the MWI purpose ‘To inspire strength, hope and wellness in our community by promoting independence, choice and person-centred support’.”

“The Plan also re-affirms the recovery model as the heart of all we do,” Preston adds. “This is a model that encourages client participation not just in decisions about their own care and treatment, but in service planning.”

There are four goals that give overall direction to the strategy:
1. Transition outpatient and long term care into the community and close the MWI site in the long term
2. Ensure active patient participation in our services using the recovery model
3. Use a needs-based approach to care that ensures people get care at the right time and place and from the right provider
4. Challenge the stigma and discrimination associated with MWI services

Acting Chief of Psychiatry Dr Anna Nielson comments: “Shifting outpatient services to community settings helps bring the care to the people who need them. It makes accessing services easier, and people don’t have to visit MWI which can have a stigma associated with it. We have already started the process: last year mental health services and support were offered from Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre, Victoria Clinic, the courts and a nurse led pilot has run in a GP office. Lastly, a Community Intellectual Disability Team (CIDT) was launched last year to support clients in their homes.”

The Plan goes further, however, with a long term goal of co-locating acute inpatient mental health services on the KEMH campus, where inpatient acute medical services are delivered.

“People would be able to go to the same campus whether they have an acute mental illness or physical illness,” Dr Neilson-Williams explains. “They would be separate, purpose built units, but on the same campus allowing for better support and cooperation between the two services.”

Mr Swan also highlights a promotional campaign in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), MIND (UK) and local partners to help break down the stigma associated with mental illness. “We want to end the stigma that many people feel is associated with mental illness. It impacts how people are treated at work and home, and also can discourage people from seeking help when they need it. We truly want to see a transformation take place in Bermuda.”

You can read the full MWI Directorate Plan here and a summary of the plan here.

Temporary chillers to be installed on the KEMH General Wing site

Sunday 12 June 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board today advises the public that five temporary chillers will be installed on the KEMH site near to the Berry Hill visitors’ car park and delivery area of the General Wing.

There should be no impact to patients accessing patient parking areas as the construction site is not a public area. Vendors who deliver to KEMH will find there is traffic control to help them safely deliver supplies.

Trench work will start on Monday, and through the week a high lift and crane will be visible. Work is expected to be completed within five days.

The temporary chillers will assist cooling water for KEMH while repairs are undertaken on the chillers in the Acute Care Wing.

Lamb Foggo UCC returns to normal weekday hours

Sunday 1 May 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board today announces that from Monday 2 May, the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre (UCC) will be returning to its normal Monday to Friday hours of 2pm to 10pm, following the implementation of temporary hours on weekdays due to staff pressures.

Weekend hours were not changed, and still remain at 9am to 9pm.

X-ray services at the UCC will restart later this month, and an update will be provided in due course.

The Integrated Care Clinic at the UCC will continue on its normal hours.

KEMH Acute Care Wing traffic diversion from 18-22 April 2022

Sunday 17 April 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) advises the public that there will be traffic diversions for those driving to the front of the Acute Care Wing, including the Emergency Department entrance. The diversions will be in place from Monday 18 to Friday 22 April 2022.

Cleaning of the outside of the hospital building necessitates use of a lift that will block the road on the campus in the vicinity of the front of the building.

Pedestrians and vehicular traffic will be redirected where necessary. For your safety and the safety of others, please use caution and adhere to the barriers, signage and directions given by staff at the scene.

BHB apologises to the public for any inconvenience caused by the disruption.

No through road traffic at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital on Friday 8 April 2022

Thursday 7 April 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board advises the public that there will be no through traffic on the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) campus between Point Finger and Berry Hill Roads on Friday 8 April 2022.

Cleaning of the outside of the hospital building necessitates use of a lift that will block the road on the campus near the Botanical Gardens.

Pedestrians will not be affected.

Emergency vehicles and people attending the Emergency Department should use the Point Finger Road entrance. Ambulances will enter and exit on Point Finger Road.  Visitor parking lots will still be accessible from both Point Finger Road (Acute Care Wing) and Berry Hill Road (General Wing and Agape House). Traffic will not be able to travel between the General Wing lobby roundabout and Point Finger Road.

For your safety and the safety of others, please use caution and adhere to the barriers, signage and Point directions of the security officers.

Bermuda Hospitals Board apologises to the public for any inconvenience caused by the disruption.

BHB and Brown Darrell collaborate on CT service

Thursday 27 January 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board today announced that it will be working with the Brown-Darrell Clinic to deliver a CT service while both its CT scanners undergo repairs.

Dr Daniel Stovell, Chief of Radiology, comments: “Many times patients who are scanned using a CT, such as stroke patients, can use alternative modalities, such as MRI. For patients whose only option is a CT scan, we are very grateful to the collaboration with the Brown-Darrell Clinic who will carry out the CT scan for us. If patients who attend Emergency require a CT, they will be transported by ambulance to Brown-Darrell, then return to KEMH where diagnosis and treatment will resume.

“We apologise for anyone who is impacted. It is very unfortunate that both CT scanners have been impacted at the same time and we are working closely with the manufacturer, GE. The parts will be on island this week and we expect the service to resume by next week.”

UCC temporary changes to evening hours only on week days

Wednesday 12 January 2022: Bermuda Hospitals Board today announces that there will be evening-only hours from 6pm to 10pm Monday to Friday at the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre (UCC) from Thursday 13 January, to assist with ensuring adequate staffing levels are available in the Emergency Department at KEMH. The weekend hours will remain the same from 9am to 9pm.

Dr Chikezie Dean Okereke, Chief of Emergency, comments: “The temporary change in the weekday hours are due to a number of factors, including staffing issues, with some existing vacant positions and COVID-19 quarantine absences. We are extremely busy in the main Emergency Department at the moment. We are seeing many very unwell patients who need admission. This is not primarily driven by COVID-19 infections, but pre-existing medical conditions.

“We are struggling to get patients discharged in a timely manner from inpatient units, as they need community services, nursing home placements or family support. This has resulted in an increasing number of people waiting in the Emergency Department following admission, delays in timely assessment and management of the new patients attending and a high overall number of patients in the ED needing care. We are managing, but the reduced staffing numbers and the high acuity patients attending means that the Emergency Department service delivery is under a lot of pressure.”

Judy Richardson, Chief of Nursing, comments: “As community infections rise, so does the number of BHB staff who are impacted. BHB currently has nearly 150 staff off work due to positive results or as close contacts. While generally we have maintained services to date, the reduced UCC hours allow us to redeploy a full time nurse back to the ED which will assist in delivering care where the most unwell people are in need. We continue to review our situation as more people are impacted by positive cases. While hospitalised COVID patient numbers have been relatively low with omicron, they are rising, and with staff levels under pressure we may have to review the delivery of care in non-urgent outpatient areas should the situation continue to escalate.”