Latest news with #MelanieFraser
CTV News
26-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Provincewide reclassification of Registered Nurse positions complete: P.E.I. government
A nurse is pictured on March 16, 2010 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by) A provincewide reclassification of Registered Nurse (RN) positions on Prince Edward Island has been completed. Over 1,400 nursing positions were reviewed, along with more than 85 position questionnaires, according to a news release from the province. 'Through over 30 working group meetings, eight new RN classification groupings were created, each with a standardized position description to ensure consistency, fairness, and transparency,' reads the release. The review was done by Health PEI and the PEI Nurses' Union (PEINU). 'This work is about recognizing the critical contributions of our nursing professionals and ensuring their roles are clearly defined and equitable,' said Melanie Fraser, CEO of Health PEI, in the release. 'We've made our hiring process easier by cutting out a lot of red tape. We worked with the union and PSC to do this, and now it better reflects the value all nurses bring to healthcare, no matter where they work.' The reclassification includes a wage rate increase and retroactive pay for any registered nurses classified at a higher level. The province says the financial mandate has been approved by Treasury Board, with the PEI Public Service Commission overseeing the classification process. 'This is a meaningful step forward for our Registered Nurse members,' said Barbara Brookins, -president of the PEI Nurses' Union. 'The new classifications reflect the real work nurses do every day and provide a more efficient, and transparent system for the future.' The province says the initiative aligns with a commitment made in the current collective agreement. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
19-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Health P.E.I. not imposing a minimum number of patients on family doctors, says CEO
'We're not asking the physicians to take on a larger panel than they've ever had' A gap is developing between what Health P.E.I. says and what the Medical Society of P.E.I. insists is the case when it comes to the patient roster benchmarks the province is asking family doctors to meet. Earlier this month, the society announced it planned to sue the health agency for breach of contract over proposed targets saying a full-time family physician should have 1,600 people on the roster and see 24 patients a day. The medical society said at the time that the proposed "minimum" workloads for doctors would lead to burnout and drive physicians from the province. But on Thursday, Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser told CBC News those targets are "maximums," and said they would be scaled back if doctors perform other duties — like emergency room work and other hospital shifts. There would also be different expectations for doctors who practice on their own versus those who work in a team-based patient medical home, Fraser said. "We're not asking the physicians to take on a larger panel than they've ever had — 1,600 was the maximum benchmark, it remains the maximum benchmark," she said in an interview. "At the same time, we do need to have some measure to understand how many patients [we can] affiliate to a particular physician." Last August, the government, Health P.E.I. and the medical society together announced a new physician services agreement. It saw the Island become the first province in Canada to recognize family medicine as a specialty and promised a 35 per cent boost to doctors' pay over the next five years. New agreement for P.E.I. doctors expected to boost recruitment and retention But then last month, Health P.E.I. introduced a draft version of its new operational guide, which included a requirement that each family doctor see two dozen patients a day, based on an average appointment being 15 minutes long. The guide also said each full-time family doctor's practice should have a panel of 1,600 patients, with penalties imposed if that target isn't met. We do value our doctors, we do want to retain all the physicians that we have…. I'm confident that we can get through these concerns. — Melanie Fraser, Health P.E.I. CEO The draft guide clearly states that the targets were minimum standards. "Physicians will be expected to maintain a minimum panel size as described within the Family Physician Panel Policy," says a section on page 24 of the guide. "The resulting FTE [full-time equivalent] is then used to calculate a physician's assigned panel benchmark, based on a reference point of 1,600 patients per 1.0 FTE." 'That is not possible to do' Fraser's language on Thursday told a different story. She said a 1,600-patient panel has been the maximum since 2016; it hasn't changed since then; and Health P.E.I. is not intending to change it. Family doctors who spoke to CBC News over the past week seemed to be of the understanding that they would have to meet the benchmarks as minimums, however. "This is not possible to do, what they're asking," Summerside family physician Dr. David Antle said in a June 15 interview. "People, including me, are already teetering on burnout and this will send us over the edge." Antle said he has 900 patients on his roster and sees about 20 of them each day when working at the Summerside Medical Centre. That's in addition to emergency room shifts, and the time it takes to review patient test results and consult with other doctors about care. "If this goes through — and it's going to be forced upon us with threats of potential punishment if you don't meet it — I can't provide the care that's needed for the patients I have. Full-stop," he said. "There's no way I can do it and there's no way my colleagues can do it." Fraser acknowledged Thursday that the talks between Health P.E.I. and doctors have broken down, but said she's confident negotiations on operating guide will be resolved. WATCH | Why some family doctors believe new Health P.E.I. targets will drive physicians away: Media Video | Why some family doctors believe new Health P.E.I. targets will drive physicians away Caption: Family doctors on P.E.I. are worried about physician burnout and the quality of care they can provide. Health P.E.I. is proposing doctors should have at least 1,600 patients, and see 24 of them every day. Two family doctors, including Dr. Jeannette Verleun, weigh in about their fears and how they think the changes might impact Islanders. CBC's Connor Lamont reports. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. The consultation process is scheduled to continue into July. "We're really hoping to have the input and feedback brought back to the process so that we can consider it and move forward," Fraser said. "We do value our doctors, we do want to retain all the physicians that we have, all the staff that we have…. I'm confident that we can get through these concerns, through the process that we have." The CEO also noted that three more family doctors have been hired for P.E.I. in the last three weeks, but wouldn't say where in the province they are expected to work.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
P.E.I. rolls out Mobile Dental Clinics
P.E.I. has announced the roll out of their mobile dental clinics. (Source: Government of Prince Edward Island) Health PEI has announced the arrival of its new Mobile Dental Clinic. The mobile clinic represents a milestone in Health PEI's commitment to improve access to dental services on the island, a news release says. The mobile dental clinic is designed to serve Islanders who face barriers to traditional dental services. The clinic will visit schools, long-term care homes, community care facilities, shelters and outreach centres. 'Good oral health is important to your overall health. For too many Islanders, including seniors, children and those in vulnerable situations, dental care has been out of reach. This mobile clinic changes that by delivering care directly to the people who need it most,' said Mark McLane, minister of health and wellness. The roll out of the clinics will happen in phases, starting with the school-based preventative services this summer and into the upcoming fall school year. The next phases will expand to residential care settings and community outreach centres. Each mobile clinic is equipped with two treatment rooms, one of which is wheelchair accessible and a bariatric-compatible dental chair. The clinics will have a dentist, dental hygienists and dental assistants. 'This is about health, dignity and equity,' said Melanie Fraser, Health PEI CEO. 'We're breaking down barriers and making sure every Islander, regardless of age, income, or location, has access to the care they deserve.' More information is available on P.E.I.'s Dental Care Program. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
30-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Health P.E.I. CEO says streamlined executive team will boost accountability, performance
Health P.E.I. says it's making changes to its executive leadership team in what it calls an important step in restoring public trust. The main changes include the addition of the following positions: chief of governance and risk, chief of people and professional practice, and provincial chief of nursing. "The health-care system is fairly large and complex here in Prince Edward Island, and it really needs to be well-managed," Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser said in an interview with CBC News. "We've streamlined the number of executives but we've put a real focus on accountability and performance." Filling new positions Fraser said Health P.E.I. has started recruiting for the new executive leadership positions in an open and transparent process, adding that anybody who wants to compete for one of the positions is welcome to do so. The salaries of the executive positions were approved by Health P.E.I.'s board of directors and will be made public, she said. "In setting these salaries, we identified our Atlantic comparators and we sought to compare our salaries to theirs," Fraser said. "We didn't want to lead or lag the market. We wanted to be in a place where we could recruit and retain, but still be fiscally responsible and recognize that we are a small health authority relative to some of our… comparators." We need an executive that is built [for] and capable of delivering the highest quality care, delivering value care and ensuring that the services are here for Islanders. While Fraser said reducing the cost of the new executive leadership structure wasn't one of the guiding principles, she said it will be more cost-effective than what has been done in the past. Fraser said the last executive structure that was in place in 2024 cost about $2 million when fully staffed, while salaries for this new one are set to add up to between $1 million and $1.5 million. Effect on everyday Islanders While average Islanders might not notice much of a difference when it comes to executive leadership changes within the provincial health authority, Fraser said the trickle-down effects will improve the care they get. "We need an executive that is built [for] and capable of delivering the highest quality care, delivering value care and ensuring that the services are here for Islanders," she said. "Over the course of the past year, we have — with our interim executive — been able to drive results that are quite significant relative to what we were seeing over the course of the past couple of years." Fraser said MRI and diagnostic imaging wait times have gone down, the number of open hospital beds has gone up and the surgical backlog has been reduced. Health P.E.I. has also hired more staff across the province this year compared to any previous year, Fraser said. "It's about having the right process, the right procedures. It's a complex, very integrated system and we need to move it all forward," she said, adding that Health P.E.I. will continue to push hard to deliver better access and lower wait times.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Health P.E.I. CEO says streamlined executive team will boost accountability, performance
Health P.E.I. says it's making changes to its executive leadership team in what it calls an important step in restoring public trust. The main changes include the addition of the following positions: chief of governance and risk, chief of people and professional practice, and provincial chief of nursing. "The health-care system is fairly large and complex here in Prince Edward Island, and it really needs to be well-managed," Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser said in an interview with CBC News. "We've streamlined the number of executives but we've put a real focus on accountability and performance." The changes come after the provincial health agency received audit recommendations on restructuring its executive leadership team, which currently has many senior roles being filled on an interim basis using contract employees hired through private recruitment agencies. Filling new positions Fraser said Health P.E.I. has started recruiting for the new executive leadership positions in an open and transparent process, adding that anybody who wants to compete for one of the positions is welcome to do so. The salaries of the executive positions were approved by Health P.E.I.'s board of directors and will be made public, she said. "In setting these salaries, we identified our Atlantic comparators and we sought to compare our salaries to theirs," Fraser said. "We didn't want to lead or lag the market. We wanted to be in a place where we could recruit and retain, but still be fiscally responsible and recognize that we are a small health authority relative to some of our… comparators." We need an executive that is built [for] and capable of delivering the highest quality care, delivering value care and ensuring that the services are here for Islanders. — Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser While Fraser said reducing the cost of the new executive leadership structure wasn't one of the guiding principles, she said it will be more cost-effective than what has been done in the past. Fraser said the last executive structure that was in place in 2024 cost about $2 million when fully staffed, while salaries for this new one are set to add up to between $1 million and $1.5 million. Effect on everyday Islanders While average Islanders might not notice much of a difference when it comes to executive leadership changes within the provincial health authority, Fraser said the trickle-down effects will improve the care they get. "We need an executive that is built [for] and capable of delivering the highest quality care, delivering value care and ensuring that the services are here for Islanders," she said. "Over the course of the past year, we have — with our interim executive — been able to drive results that are quite significant relative to what we were seeing over the course of the past couple of years." Fraser said MRI and diagnostic imaging wait times have gone down, the number of open hospital beds has gone up and the surgical backlog has been reduced. Health P.E.I. has also hired more staff across the province this year compared to any previous year, Fraser said. "It's about having the right process, the right procedures. It's a complex, very integrated system and we need to move it all forward," she said, adding that Health P.E.I. will continue to push hard to deliver better access and lower wait times. "I won't be satisfied until we meet national standards or better."
