Just two days into her new job as president of Barrie’s Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, Gail Hunt is already singing the praises of the hospital's staff
Hunt, who held the same position at Midland’s Georgian Bay General Hospital for five years, replaces Janice Skot who recently retired after 18 years at the helm. And during the past two years, all the local hospitals have been working closely together to tackle the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Staff at all the hospitals, said Hunt, have been going hard, picking up extra shifts and dealing with the unknown every day. In recent months they’ve also had to deal with shortages as staff members manage COVID-19 within their own families.
“It’s really important to hear from the staff on how they’re doing,” Hunt told BarrieToday, “so I can get a better sense of where the organization is at and how we’re going to get to some of the goals in the future.”
The current challenges are the annual summer uptick in emergency visits — which had already been experiencing increases — and much-needed vacation time for staff members all exacerbated by the unpredictability of sick calls.
The result is that staff are daily shifted around to make sure all the departments have safe staffing levels. Hunt sees a future which includes innovative staffing models that could address that unpredictability.
She points to the use of externs — recent graduates not yet licensed but who can be used in a support capacity, providing extra hands while providing them with experience — a program RVH has deployed during the pandemic.
“I think a really big opportunity is opening up now with Georgian College getting a RN (registered nurse) degree program that will be totally at Georgian College,” she said. “And RVH being a neighbour to Georgian College will really be able to have some big benefits partnering with Georgian on that and hoping to take more students in.”
Meanwhile, RVH’s future includes plans to double the size of the hospital and adding a new campus in Innisfil to meet the needs of the area’s growing population. That includes expanding services, programs and research to keep up with the community’s needs.
“We really need to invest in our people. Doubling our size will also mean a doubling in the staff in our future,” said Hunt. “Physical infrastructure is one side of it but making sure we have the staff, the people to run those programs and services in the future will be something we’ll have to do in lockstep as well as fundraising.
“It’s a journey of 1,000 steps to get there.”
It’s important, Hunt added, to help those who help others bring the joy back to their work.
“During COVID and post and with the staffing shortages some days, it’s really hard to come in here and keep a smile on your face and making sure all the patients are being taken care of,” Hunt said. “Investing in that and making sure we do all that we can for our people is really important. What makes an organization is an exceptional team.”
The patient experience, she added, is all about the staff, so ensuring they’re happy in their roles and environment translates into what the patients get out of the hospital.
“That’s what attracted me to coming here in the first place… the positive experience people have had with the staff and feeling supported during their worst moments. That’s what we need to keep up," Hunt stressed.
Efforts to bring the staff past the hardships posed through the pandemic include providing training and updating opportunities, said Hunt.
They also include giving staff an opportunity to speak their minds and communicate their needs to senior leadership.
“I think sometimes being heard is important and during COVID we didn’t get those opportunities,” particularly since many conversations happened virtually, she said. “We’ll see an introduction of doing more in person so staff has an opportunity to engage with senior leadership.”
