Excellence in mental health care and services: the organization and operations of the Restigouche Hospital Centre will be reviewed

Campbellton, Monday March 27, 2017 – Further to an assessment of the quality of mental health services provided at the Restigouche Hospital Centre, Vitalité Health Network intends to follow up on a series of recommendations made by an independent expert in order to get the facility’s processes in line with best practices for mental health in Canada, maximize the use of resources, and improve accessibility of services.

Complete and thorough analysis

In January 2017, the Network administration mandated an external consultant to review the current situation in order to improve its strategies and action plans to maintain the care standards, quality and safety expected in a tertiary and forensic psychiatry setting. According to President and Chief Executive Officer Gilles Lanteigne, a thorough case analysis methodology was used. “The work was based on interviews, documentation review, and on-site observation. Over 180 people were met as part of group sessions and nearly 130 during individual interviews,” he said. “Our external partners were also involved in the process, namely the Department of Health, who is fully supporting us in this exercise,” he continued. The objective of the Network is clear, that is making the Restigouche Hospital Centre one of the most advanced Canadian mental health treatment centres.

Clear diagnosis and focused recommendations 

The consultant’s report indicates that commendable initiatives have been undertaken in the past to develop recovery oriented services. However, it is clear that much work remains to be done, hence service delivery, interdisciplinary team work, medical services, and the work climate have progressively deteriorated. The analysis report includes a little more than thirty recommendations for the Network administration, the Restigouche Hospital Centre administration, and the medical staff.

Network administration

The recommendations for the Network administration involve

  1. steps to be taken to implement a centre of excellence and a network of integrated services,
  2. the official establishment of a patient committee, and
  3. the appointment of a patient representative.

Restigouche Hospital Centre administration

The main recommendations for the Restigouche Hospital Centre administration focus on

  1. the development of medical administrative co-management,
  2. the implementation of a rehabilitation and recovery care model,
  3. increased participation of patients and families in care,
  4. clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the various care providers, and
  5. coordination of the continuum of care with primary care and accommodation.

Medical staff

The main recommendations for the medical staff deal with

  1. the update of medical staff rules and by-laws,
  2. the implementation of medical practice evaluation mechanisms,
  3. greater involvement of psychiatrists in the interdisciplinary team and with inpatients on units,
  4. the implementation of a standardized protocol for the evaluation unit, and
  5. increased involvement of psychiatrists in the Community Mental Health Centre as well as greater collaboration with regional and provincial partners.

Recommendations will be implemented

The Network supports the analysis report and all recommendations in the report. According to the President and Chief Executive Officer, the findings and recommendations directly address the core issue. “We intend to work with the facility’s caregivers, support staff and physicians, as well as with our other government and community partners to implement the recommendations contained in the report. We know that some changes will take time but we must emerge once and for all from an asylum-like culture mainly oriented on confinement and quickly make the shift to a culture of mental health care and services focused on recovery and support of life plans for every patient,” he concluded.