Budget Cuts: Five Positions At MWI Not Renewed

Speaking in the Senate yesterday [June 22] Senator Dr Katherine Michelmore, Shadow Minister for Health, told the Senate that MWI was making cutbacks due to finances, and expressed her concern over the effect this may have on mental health services. MWI’s budget was reduced $1 million this fiscal year.

A MWI spokesperson confirmed that, “Where there are positions that have been vacant for some time, these are being frozen to help us meet our budget, as they have the least impact on existing services. Where a guest worker is leaving, or the contract expiring, we are reviewing the position and seeing if there is an option to freeze recruitment.”

The five positions being ‘frozen’ or not having contracts renewed are; one art therapist position, one occupational therapist position, one physiotherapist position, one psychiatrist position and one junior doctor position.

A Bermuda Hospitals Board Spokesperson said, “As was announced by the Minister in the March Budget Debate, MWI experienced a $1 million reduction in its budget in this fiscal year due to the current economic climate.”

“Our goal has been to meet this reduced budget, while minimizing the impact on services with regards to quality, and safeguarding Bermudian jobs, where possible.”

“The reduced budget means we will be challenged implementing the new Mental Health Plan to schedule, but existing services will remain, and they will be run safely.

“Where there are positions that have been vacant for some time, these are being frozen to help us meet our budget, as they have the least impact on existing services. Where a guest worker is leaving, or the contract expiring, we are reviewing the position and seeing if there is an option to freeze recruitment.”

MWI provided a breakdown, it follows below:

• Art Therapist position was created last year for a trained Bermudian who subsequently declined the position. No one has ever held this post and it is now frozen. MWI Occupational Therapists currently undertake the art therapy with service users and this will continue.

• Occupational Therapist position will be vacant after six months of this fiscal year due to an expired contract of the current Occupational Therapist employee. When the OT leaves in August 2011 this position will be frozen. MWI has other OTs to ensure service continuity.

• Physiotherapist position is transferring from KEMH to MWI six months into this fiscal year. The MWI position will be frozen for the remainder of the year. MWI Service Users who require physiotherapry are being referred to KEMH as outpatients.

• There are no existing MWI Clinical Educator positions being frozen within the MWI budget.

The spokesperson continued on to say that, “With regards psychiatric support, MWI’s compliment of psychiatrists and junior doctors is returning to a total 8 (4 Psychiatrists and 4 Resident doctors) from the current compliment of 10.”

“The contract’s of psychiatrist Dr Radford and a junior doctor are expiring and not being renewed. The increase to 10 Medical staff was only in existence at MWI for the last 18 months.”

“During this 18 months, the two new Bermudian consultant psychiatrists have been away on 4 months maternity leave each. During this 18 months, due to additional study leaves, lengthy vacations and sickness of consultants, MWI rarely had the benefits of 5 consultants psychiatrists so there should be minimal impact to service provision.”

“There have been other measures taken to reduce costs at MWI that have impacted non-clinical and support areas. But the focus has been to maintain the provision of safe, quality care in all service lines,” concluded the statement from MWI.

#BermudaHospitals #EmploymentInBermuda #Health #Mid-AtlanticWellnessInstitute #Psychiatry

Category: All, News