Where Is Ontario’s Ombudsman On The Niagara Health System?

By Charles Davies, a citizen of Fort Erie, Ontario

(Niagara At Large is posting this piece with the permission of Charles Davies because it is the most detailed one we’ve received yet, expressing disappointment that Andre Marin, Ontario’s Ombudsman, has still not responded in any affirmative way calls from Niagara residents for an investigation by his office into the Niagara Health System, the body responsible for operating most of this region’s hospital services. If anyone one else out there would like to share their views on this issue, read Mr. Davies’ notes then post your comments below. Doug Draper, Niagara At Large.)

 Dear Mr. Draper,

Some time ago, in one of your columns, you  stated that the Ombudsman of Ontario now had the power to investigate the NHS because a government supervisor was in charge. I jumped at the chance to send in a complaint to Mr. Marin.

In response to my submission I received a request from Angela Alibertis, from his office, to call her back. Which I did. Her question was, “What is your complaint.”  My response – ” It is in the submission that I sent to your office.”  Her suggestion, “You should take your complaint to LHIN or to NHS or to Ken Smith, the government supervisor. It was nothing but a run around. So the power is there to investigate but it is not going to happen. He is a government employee. Marin has no intention of investigating.

Several of my friends sent in submissions with the same result.
It appears that Kevin Smith is only there to put out fires and to “improve communications with the public” . He has stated that he will not look at the past – only the future. They are all in this together – NHS, LHIN, the Ministry of Health, and Dalton McGuity who want to stay as far away from the problems as possible.

They are determined to stonewall and push their agenda. It is clear that our Niagara health care is not as good as it was twenty years ago – the public does not understand and those in authority don’t care. They have committed themselves to this new state of the art hospital and are in so deep they cannot back down.

A point of interest about the new facility. They are bragging that it will have all private rooms. They will make a bundle by charging everyone the private rate, just as they have socked it to everyone with parking fees that have his seniors and frequent visitor hard.
   

Kim Craitor was put back in. There is little hope of change.

Doug. I enjoy your columns and laud your efforts to make the public aware of what’s going on.
Charles Davies.
   

My Submission to the Ombudsman of Ontario Re: NHS          9/6/2011
It is a step forward for the people of Niagara that you now have the authority to investigate NHS. Yes! It is a matter of trust -the people of Niagara do not trust what the Board has done and what they continue to do. The Board and Administration have used the trust mantra many times in their press releases and forums but what they are saying is  that you, the people of Niagara, must have faith in what we are doing and accept our decisions – have faith and trust in us. Trust has broken down because they do not seriously listen to input. In some situations they have been outright dishonest.
    The new hospital in west Niagara, far removed from easy access, has become the main thrust of the Board and Administration. All else has been sacrificed to that objective. It is to be “the hospital” for all of Niagara, yet they say it is not  a Regional hospital. They have not and will not admit the truth of the matter yet it is quite clear to the public and the press. The Board is willing to suck the life out of the rest of the community centered hospitals to achieve “their goal”. Hospital services were axed across Niagara  long before the start of construction of the new facility with no place to pick up the slack. The new hospital should be named the St. Catharines General Hospital and the rest returned to full service.
    Another example of blatant dishonesty centers around the attempt to retain Dr. Shragg for a second term as chief of staff. . They knew full well that they were breaking their own bylaws by extending his term and had to back track when caught.
     With the recent c.difficile cases in the hospitals (there are still a number at GNGH) there was an attempt to shift blame by saying that the cases were community generated. Not so when people went in for other services and acquired the disease while in hospital, some with fatal results. Is this good public relations? Does it generate trust?
    Another gray area is the acquisition of the land for the new hospital. In the first instance it was to be donated yet when it came down to finalization it was purchased for 4 million dollars. These unelected  Board members have been allowed by the Government and the Ministry of Health, under two ministers, to do whatever they please with their unbridled power; to act without intervention.  Only  now when it is too late to change some mistakes that have been made has the ministry put in a supervisor, another insider from the health system. It remains to be seen if this man will be independent in his actions.
    Last year, when the CEO resigned and Mrs. Souter, chairman of the board, stepped aside they brought back Mr. Leon, a former chairman, who was one of the main supporters of the original plan. Like the Family Compact of Upper Canada they fill vacancies with people that will follow rather question their actions. There is no intent to change or modify the initial plan.
    They have used consultation in devious ways, always picking an insider, a consultant like Dr.Kitts, who held public meetings that were a sham as shown by his final recommendations. Public input fell on deaf ears. Yes! There is mistrust and it is justified.
    There have been problems with NHS since its inception. The Board and Administration have had their own set agenda and have failed to listen and act on information from the communities of Niagara, from doctors, from nurses and from auxiliary staff, many of whom just throw up their hands and shake their heads at some of the decisions that have been made that affect heath care and working conditions. Hospital staff can see the folly and extra expense of some to the changes that are demanded of them but are powerless to be heard. I have talked with doctors and nurses who know that the new bureaucracy has taken health care out of their hands, out of the hands of the professionals who should be making the  in house decisions for patient care.

The Way It Was
Prior to NHS  community hospitals throughout Niagara functioned effectively, efficiently and economically under the direction of elected boards, reasonably paid administrators, local chiefs of staff, and emergency departments staffed by local doctors. There were few complaints.
    As an example, Douglas Memorial Hospital ran for years in the black with its own administrator and one secretary, a cleaning staff, kitchen staff and laundry all employing local people. It had its own on site ambulance. For many years the administrator was a former WWII Spitfire pilot. He did not have an MBA or an accountants qualifications but he did the job effectively working closely with the board, its finance chairman, and medical staff. He toured the hospital daily to make sure that everything was functioning as it should. There is no full time administrator at DMH now.
    DMH had its own X-ray department, lab and surgeries and  twenty four hour emergency care. All local family physicians had hospital privileges and could visit their patients on a daily basis and they could perform routine surgeries and deliveries. There was also a resident surgeon for more complicated procedures.
    For six decades DMH provided good care under local control. But it has been stripped to a shadow of it former self.
    Port Colborne has suffered the same fate and Welland and Niagara Falls hospitals have had services reduced and will suffer from further cuts, (e.g. obstetrics). Mothers and their newborn will be at the new hospital, far removed from relatives and friends and under the care of strangers as their family physicians will not have privileges there.

The Way It Is
The DMH and Port Colborne sites (they are no longer called hospitals) have been stripped of their equipment and services and changed to Urgent Care Centres. Some people have been turned away because they are told, “We cannot handle this case. Call 911”.  It leaves people in a flurry as to what they should do and where they will be taken. Emergencies can now only be handled at Welland, Niagara Falls and St. Catharines. The combined total population for Fort Erie and Port Colborne is over 50 thousand thus the number of emergency cases going to the nearest hospitals have overcrowded their ER’s and added to wait times. A man with severely damaged fingers waited for half a day at Welland General, was never seen. Finally, he left without treatment.
    Traveling distance from Fort Erie and Port Colborne to distant ER’s has resulted in two known fatalities. A Port Colborne man had a stroke which requires treatment within fifteen minutes to prevent death. He died on the way to Welland hospital. A young girl injured in a traffic accident was prevented from getting to an
 ER due to an ambulance problem. She died on route. If she could have been taken to DMH she might have been saved. An inquest is underway.
    Distance and weather conditions in winter can hamper speed of travel to Welland and Niagara Falls. One ER, either in Fort Erie or Port Colborne, should have been left open to handle the large population in the southern tier to provide speedy attention and to take the pressure off of other ER’s.
    Ambulances can no longer take people to Fort Erie or Port Colborne. The only alternative is to call 911 and be taken off to be treated by strangers.
    In patient care at these sites has been reduced to 48 hours and a limit has been set on the number to be admitted. Not all local doctors have privileges to see their patients at the Urgent Care Centres.

    The main problem with NHS is a top heavy expensive bureaucracy with a set of dubious goals and objectives and a board that takes its advice from administration without understanding or caring about the consequences. Patient care should be the first priority and it appears that it is not.
     Above and beyond health care workers there is an administrative staff of over 140 people, a number of them highly paid  to handle specific areas that could be either eliminated or combined with other areas. For example, they have a public relations head and department that obviously has not done their job effectively. They have a supervisor of nursing care even though there are  head nurses in each hospital. An examination of administrative staff responsibilities and costs is essential. It is time to cut the waste.

When one says it is a matter of trust that is true. The NHS has demonstrated , in many ways, that it cannot be trusted.

Two incidents show that NHS knew that they were acting against public opinion. They lived in fear and used force, much like that used in the Middle East, Asian, and African countries, though not as extreme, against demonstrators.
Incident #1 – They had police break up a peaceful demonstration at Douglas Memorial Hospital. A doctor had his head slammed against the hood of a cruiser when he was handcuffed and arrested.
Incident #2 – When the dedication ceremony was held for the new hospital they requested police presence. The officers were out in force.
    When you ignore the wishes of the public and fail to compromise you live in fear of retaliation even if the danger is not imminent or extreme. When you try to quell the voice of reason with force you are committing two wrongs.
   
Charles W. Davies, B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed., SOC.
Stevensville, ON.

Response to Submission

Dear Mr. Davies

I am writing in response to your email submission in which you expressed concerns about the Niagara Health Systems (NHS).

For your information, the Ombudsman of Ontario is an independent officer of the Legislature of Ontario who has the authority to review and investigate complaints against the administrative conduct of provincial government organizations.  The Ombudsman's focus is on whether government policy has been administered fairly.  The Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction over hospitals, except where a Provincial Supervisor has been appointed by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.  Furthermore, our Office is generally one of last resort, which means individuals are asked to follow the  complaint mechanisms in place by the provincial government agency involved, first.

Please feel free to contact me at 1-800-263-1830 ext. 3346 to further discuss your concerns, and I will also provide you with further information concerning our Office's mandate and details about the current complaint mechanism in place regarding the Niagara Health Systems.

Thank you for contacting the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman.

Regards,

Angela Alibertis
Early Resolution Officer
1-800-263-1830 ext. 3346

(Again, feel free to share your views below, remembering that Niagara At Large only posts views by people willing to share their full names.