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Deadline for BHB summer student programme one week away

Wednesday 19 February 2025: Individuals who would like to work at Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) over the summer are reminded that the deadline is Friday 28 February.

Preference is given to university/college applicants who are studying nursing (as long as students have started their clinical rotation), accounting, allied health, culinary arts, diagnostic imaging, finance, laboratory technology, mental health, pharmacy, rehabilitation services and substance abuse counselling.

Manager – HR Programmes Asia Ming-Raynor comments: “We want to encourage students to apply ahead of the deadline. There is usually a lot of interest in working at BHB and we design a programme that ensures students will have a fulfilling experience with us. We are looking for students who want to work in healthcare, but we also want to encourage students in areas such as finance, accounting and culinary arts. It is a unique experience working in these support services for a hospital and these professions are still critical for the running of the organisation.”

Students can apply by going to the Work At BHB page on bermudahospitals.bm. Students will need to include a cover letter, resumé and latest school transcript as part of their application.

 

19 February 2025 Home Page, News

KEMH at the forefront of hip replacement surgery

Monday 17 February 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is part of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clinical study to bring a new orthopaedic implant to the United States. The Polymotion Hip Resurfacing (PHRTM) is a new hip replacement device that will be used in men and women under age 65 as a part of the clinical study. In time, Polymotion may join its predecessor, the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHRTM), as a globally available hip resurfacing device.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ronan Treacy (pictured left) is a co-inventor of Polymotion. He also designed the Birmingham implant in the late 1990s. He’s been a regular visiting surgeon in Bermuda for over 25 years and has performed hundreds of Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedures on local residents at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH).

BHB Director of Orthopaedics Dr William Peckett has worked with Dr Treacy for over 20 years and has been trained to implant both the Birmingham and the Polymotion devices.

Dr Treacy and Dr Peckett did the first hip replacement surgeries using the Polymotion implant at KEMH in January as part of the Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study for the FDA.

Dr Treacy said: “I believe we are the first overseas centre ever to have taken part in such a study. We are privileged to be in the company of fantastic centres such as NYU, New York; RUSH University Medical Center in Chicago and some of the biggest names in hip surgery in the world.”

“In total, the team performed the surgery on four patients. Each went home on the day of surgery. All are recovering well.”

Most patients who undergo hip replacement surgery at KEMH are discharged home the same day.

Dr Treacy said: “The patients actually prefer to go home and be in their own bed in their first night. The level of pain control isn’t really an issue. Patients are very mobile afterwards.”

“This is the trend in the United States. We haven’t quite caught up in the UK. In fact, we are far in advance here at the King Edward Hospital to regular practice in the UK.”

Although the Bermuda surgeries were the first in the US study, Dr Treacy has successfully implanted metal-on-polyethylene hip resurfacings (similar to the Polymotion) in Birmingham, UK, for the last 9 years. He has performed about 90 surgeries.

Worldwide, approximately 250 of these metal-on-polyethylene resurfacing devices have been implanted. The Polymotion is currently being used regularly in New Zealand on general release to treat various hip conditions. It is also going through the necessary regulatory processes in other global markets, including Australia and Canada.

Dr Peckett will perform most of the local clinical study cases. He said: “We are excited to be one of only ten centres that were chosen for this study. The other nine are all in the US.”

“Over 200 patients are expected to be enrolled in the study, which will run for at least 2 years. We would be expecting to enroll approximately 20 Bermudian patients in total over that time period.”

JointMedica, manufacturers of Polymotion, were on hand at the surgeries last week. President of the company, Dr. Sharat Kusuma, also an orthopaedic surgeon, said adding a polyethylene lining

to the socket of the metal ball and socket device differentiates it from its predecessor, the Birmingham. Over the past ten years, metal-on-metal hip replacement devices (like the Birmingham) have become less popular due to the metal-on-metal bearing surface. The Polymotion device incorporates several design features of Birmingham resurfacing but eliminates the metal-metal bearing surface.

Dr Treacy said: “Dr Peckett just did his 300th outpatient joint replacement here over the last two years. This is an extraordinary achievement due in large part to the King Edward nursing staff, radiology staff, its anaesthetic staff, and a lot of pre-operative work.”

BHB Chief of Surgery Dr. Alicia Stovell-Washington said: “We are proud that JointMedica has included KEMH as a site for this FDA study; it reinforces that our surgical department has world-class staff and processes.”

We thank Drs Treacy and Peckett for spearheading this effort to improve the lives of our patients.

Bringing the Polymotion clinical study to Bermuda completely aligns with our BHB vision; To pursue excellence through improvement, to make Bermuda proud.”

For more information on the Polymotion device click here.

Pictured at the top, from left: Tim Band, Senior Director Market Development, JointMedica; Dr William Peckett, BHB Director of Orthopaedics; Dr Sharat Kusuma, President, JointMedica; Jason Osier and Warner Watkins, JointMedica distribution agents. 

17 February 2025 Home Page, News

‘Understanding Prostate Health’ booklet and PSA guidelines launched

Tuesday 11 February 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board today launched an ‘Integrated Health Care: Understanding Prostate Health’ booklet and PSA testing guidelines as part of the outcome of work undertaken to develop an integrated prostate cancer care pathway in Bermuda.

The booklet aims to provide information to help men better understand prostate issues, prevention, risk and treatment for many prostate conditions including cancer, in Bermuda. Click here to read the booklet.

The PSA testing guidelines establish a standardised approach in Bermuda.  Click here to read the guidelines.

The Minster of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson JP MP, comments: “Prostate cancer is the number one cancer affecting men. In fact, it makes up 33% of cancer diagnoses in men in Bermuda with over 50 new cases identified in Bermuda each year. It needs our attention now because mortality rates in Bermuda for prostate cancer are twice that compared to the OECD average. It is critical we understand and improve our care pathways for prostate cancer so we can deliver the most effective screening and the best, most efficient treatment for men who are diagnosed.”

CEO & President of BHB Scott Pearman said: “This integrated prostate cancer pathway follows on from similar work completed for breast cancer that has seen improvements in the pathway for women. We are also working with Johns Hopkins on pathways for trauma and burns care, which we hope will also improve the efficiency and effective of our trauma and burns response. The central purpose of the cancer pathways is about making a difference in the lives of people in Bermuda. We want to make screening more effective and available, to catch cancers as early as possible when there is the best chance of a full recovery.  We also want to raise awareness about risks and prevention, and to improve the care pathway for men diagnosed with prostate cancer so that we can improve outcomes and save lives.”

BHB Consultant Urologist and founder of the DailyMale charity, Dr Jonathan Makanjuola, noted: “I would specifically like to thank the following individual got validating the pathway and guidelines. Dr Fosker from the Bermuda Cancer & Health Centre for helping validate the pathway. Dr. Michael E. Czerwinski, Consultant Urologist, Island Urology Services. Dr. Michael E. Brooks, Consultant Urological Surgeon, Dynamic Urology Services. Dr. Jeff MacLeod and Dr. Adil Ladak, Island Health Services FPG. Dr. Kyjuan H. Brown, President, Bermuda Medical Doctors Association and Dr. Ayoola Oyinloye, Director of Population Health Innovation and Strategy, Bermuda Health Council.”

He added: “The message I’d like to leave you with today is that when detected early, most prostate issues, including cancer, are highly treatable, and men have a range of options to regain their health and peace of mind. So please read this guide if you are a man or to share with the men in your life.My hope is that this information will empower you to take charge of your prostate health and encourage you to make screenings a regular part of your wellness routine. Together, by staying informed and proactive, we can make a big difference in men’s health in Bermuda.”

 

11 February 2025 Home Page, News

KEMH through road closed Friday 7 February afternoon

Thursday 6 February 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board advises the public that there will be no through traffic on the campus of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) between Point Finger Road and Berry Hill Road on Friday 7 February from approximately 1pm to 6pm.

Vehicles and pedestrians will be able to access the Emergency Department, the main Acute Care Wing entrance and the Acute Care Wing visitor parking lot from Point Finger Road.

The General Wing visitor parking lot will be accessible from Berry Hill Road.

To ensure safety, please adhere to all signage, barricades and directions of personnel at the site.

The road closure will facilitate two consecutive crane lifts, the first outside the Orthopaedic (Fracture) Clinic and the second by the General Wing lobby entrance. This will allow the replacement of an air handling unit and air unit coils.

6 February 2025 News

BHB Public Advisory on Patient Billings

Friday 24 January 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) wishes to inform the public that in recent weeks some of its patients have received bills that they would not normally receive.

This is due to how some claims were processed by the BHB’s Patient Electronic & Administrative Records Log (PEARL).

BHB has made changes to its system to prevent this issue from reoccurring.

BHB’s Chief Financial Officer, Arthur Ebbin said: “We apologise to those who have received these bills and thank those who contacted us querying their bills. We also invite anyone who has a question about their bill to call our Collections Department on 239-2026.”

 

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24 January 2025 Home Page, News

Oncology update

Thursday 23 January 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board today provides an update on the hiring of two new oncologists, both of whom will arrive by the end of January.

Dr Anna Neilson-WilliamsActing Chief of Staff, Anna Neilson-Williams comments: “We are really pleased to be able to share that two oncologists are due to arrive in Bermuda by the end of January and will go through training and orientation in the first two weeks of February. This is great news for the patients of our oncology service. As the new oncologists arrive we will share their details with patients and the community. This means very soon our service will have three full-time oncologists on island, and we will be able to take on all new cancer cases as before.

“I would like to thank Bermuda Cancer & Health Centre and PALS, as well as to hospital physicians and staff, and especially our full-time oncologist Dr Alisha Tucker and locum Dr Christopher Price. To our patients, we appreciate your understanding through what we know has been a challenging period. I would also like to note that over the last few months we have been in discussions with some overseas hospitals on having locum agreements in place. Oncologists are specialist positions and the type of oncologist hired for an island service is increasingly rare, so the hiring time can take six or more months. If we are able to establish locum agreements, this could help us better maintain local services during hiring periods or oncologist vacations.”

23 January 2025 Home Page, News

Bermuda Hospitals Board announces the first Generation Beta baby

Thursday 2 January 2025: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is happy to announce the birth of Aaryonn Xzavier Smith, the first baby born on New Year’s Day to Dannielle Joell and Boulevard Blazers centre-back Anthony Smith.

Hospital management and staff are celebrating as Danielle is a nurse aide at the hospital. “My due date was actually 17th of January but I have been coming in with pain recently,” she said. “They check me and then release me back home, but yesterday the pain was stronger and when they checked they said it was time,” she recalled.

Father Anthony, focused on the Shield Championship match against Somerset Trojans he was to play in, said he knew Dannielle had come to the hospital but thought it was the usual pains she had been experiencing. The centre-back was on the field by noon in Somerset, and at 1:03pm his son was born. Aaryonn weighed 6lbs 5oz.

“It happened too fast for me to get here for the birth,” he said. “But the whole team was excited. And we won,” he added.

Anthony rode in the traditional winning motorcade to Hamilton with the shield and was dropped off at the hospital to be with Danielle and Aaryonn.

“He is our Boulevard baby,” said his father, “the whole team is behind him.”

BHB CEO & President Scott Pearman noted: “We are delighted that our own Danielle is mom to the first, Generation Beta baby in Bermuda. Babies born this year are the first in a new generation of children that will include all born up to the end of 2039.”

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2 January 2025 Home Page, News

Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre closed on Saturday

Friday 27 December 2024: Bermuda Hospitals Board advises the public that due to a shortage of staff, the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre (UCC) will be closed on Saturday 28 December 2024.

The UCC will be open its regular hours of 9am to 9pm on Sunday 29 December 2024.

This temporary UCC closure is to ensure adequate staffing levels to safely manage demand for all patients who require urgent or emergency care. BHB apologises for the inconvenience.

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27 December 2024 Home Page, News

Nearly half of acute care beds filled with patients medically fit for discharge

Thursday 19 December 2024: Bermuda Hospitals Board today revealed that analysis undertaken on Wednesday 18 December showed that 42 of its 90 beds on the acute care inpatient units were filled with people who were medically fit for discharge. That is 46% of all inpatient beds in the Acute Care Wing (ACW). The average length of stay of these patients was 70 days (over two months) with longest stay patient being over nine months.

Medically fit for discharge refers to patients who no longer require acute medical care but remain in the hospital due to barriers to safe and appropriate discharge.

In the General Wing, where beds are used as acute care overflow, there are an additional 24 patients medically fit for discharge, with the longest stay being almost 2 years (23 months).

Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson JP MP, comments: “These figures will understandably concern the community, as behind each patient is an individual in need of assistance. We continue to support BHB’s efforts to enhance hospital capacity and remain committed to developing long-term solutions to improve care availability in the community.

“While healthcare systems must invest in these long-term solutions to address patients who are medically fit for discharge, families play a crucial role in the immediate response. By recognising the challenges faced by hospitals and the needs of their loved ones, families can make a significant difference by stepping up to assist in the discharge and care process.

“Ultimately, addressing this issue requires a collaborative effort among families, healthcare providers, and policymakers. By working together, we can ensure hospital resources are used effectively and patients receive the appropriate care in the most suitable setting.”

CEO & President Scott Perman noted that the number of patients medically fit for discharge in the acute care wing had increased over 50% since figures were last publicly shared in June 2023, when there were 25 patients in acute care inpatient beds.

“This is something we have been experiencing over the last few months,” he says. “Its biggest impact has seen rising waits for emergency patients needing an inpatient bed.”

The issue is mostly caused by patients who need either a nursing home or more care support at home in order to be safely discharged.

Mr Pearman noted, “We obviously implore families to take their loved ones home as soon as they are ready to be discharged, when possible. We know Bermuda needs more affordable nursing home placements and affordable care support for people at home, but the impact on hospital services of these delayed discharges is detrimental to others needing acute, surgical* and emergency services**, and those patients trying to return from medical institutions overseas. It also increases hospital costs that the healthcare system overall has to bear.”

Data from 18 December shows:

Acute Care Inpatient Units (ACW)
• 42 of the 90 acute care inpatient beds had people medically fit for discharge in them (46%)
• The average age of the patients whose discharge is delayed is 76 years
• The average length of stay for these patients is over 2 months (70 days)
• Of the 42 patients, 24 % have been in hospital 3 months or more and 12% have been in hospital 6 months or more
• The longest stay patient has been in an acute care bed for over 9 months.

Acute Care Overflow Beds in the General Wing
• 24 medically fit for discharge patients are staying on units in the General Wing
• The average age of patients is 78 years
• The average length of stay of these patients is over 9 months (262 days)
• 88% of these patients have been in hospital over 3 months and 58% of these patients have been in hospital over 6 months
• The longest stay patient has been in hospital for nearly two years (23 months)

“Our longest stay patients whose discharge is delayed will find themselves eventually on a bed on the General Wing side. These patients do not need BHB’s long term care service, which is for seniors with higher care needs than a community nursing home can offer. This means they are still using beds that others need. Most importantly, they are not in the environment best suited for their needs, impacting their quality of life and putting them at risk of unnecessary physical deterioration.”

A 100-day challenge undertaken at the beginning of 2024 had helped identify internal efficiency improvements relating to bed flow and some solutions were implemented. A task force was recently established to follow up on the improvements and work on some of the more complex solutions highlighted from this effort. But the increasing number of medically fit for discharge patients in hospital is something BHB cannot control.

Mr Pearman urged the community to use emergency services wisely and ensure relatives ready for discharge are supported to go home as soon as possible. These actions will help relieve some of the pressure.

He added, “While we are focusing on the impact of delayed discharges, we should also be wise about our own health and care. We have had as many as 30 people waiting for admission in our Emergency Departments and this impacts everyone coming in. So please use your GP in the weekday or go to the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care service between 9am and 9pm on Saturday and Sunday if it is not a true emergency. Avoid the need of emergency services by taking any medications for chronic conditions, getting available vaccines that safely prevent flu, measles and other diseases, and don’t drink or do drugs and drive. Make sure the emergency services can focus on the true emergencies, such as strokes, heart attacks and other life-threatening conditions.”

Related data:
*Below is a year’s data on surgical cancellations. Highlighted in the table is the number of surgeries rescheduled due to no beds being available. The highest cause of surgical cancellation, however, remains patients themselves not turning up or cancelling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

** Emergency wait times are posted monthly to the BHB Statistics page, and real-time wait times are available on a screen in the Emergency Department.

19 December 2024 Home Page, News