As per our Blog Policy - the comments and opinions in this article are those of the author and do not represent the organization.
We’ve just finished a fall education term where we’ve coordinated four conferences in five weeks in Ottawa, and the first off-site conference for Brockville staff in two years. We feel like we’ve completed a 26K marathon.
I use the wedding metaphor to try and help people visualize the work and emotion involved in creating a successful conference. There are hundreds of details requiring attention. We’ve never attempted so many major events over such a short timeframe and my colleague Marie-Constance Morley deserves enormous credit for the success of these events.
o The 3rd Annual Community Day for Care and Treatment of Schizophrenia reached its 100 registrant ceiling again, as it has every year. The multi-systems panel was a huge success. And the event placed over $2,000 in the pockets of the Schizophrenia Program to reinvest in other education needs.
o The IMHR Free Public Lecture “Breaking the Barriers: Out of the Shadows Through Science” celebrating Mental Illness Awareness Week filled all 170 seats in the auditorium within a 18 day registration period.
o The 5th Annual Ivy Dunn Clinical Nursing Research Day “Keeping Our Clinical Space Safe” was another successful event and for the first time in the past two years, generated revenue for the Ivy Dunn Bursary.
o The Building Healthier Workplaces Conference “Inspiring Leadership”, a partnership initiative that included our lead Human Resource service partners Manulife, Shepell-fgi, and Mercer, raised $10,000 for the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health.
As we debrief these events there are areas for improvement. But these conferences were successful during a period where we are seeing a downturn in the conference industry, obviously connected to the economic fallout that is impacting all public and private sectors.
I also want to take pride in our first conference success in over two years in Brockville where we recently administered the “BMHC Self-Determination Workshop” which received outstanding feedback. We want to encourage and support more of these events in Brockville. Whitnee Denard-Paul, Debra Rice and Candace Whitley have set a terrific example for all BMHC programs.
We live in an age where education is being squeezed onto the web, channeled through the wires of videoconference equipment, and compromised in several other ways. A successful conference that provides great content and takes the learner away from the noise and conflict of their normal workday still has a profound impact on education; and we’ll continue to work diligently to support this traditional mode of learning.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
CBT - Walking the Survey Talk
As per our Blog Policy - the comments and opinions in this article are those of the author and do not represent the organization.
Staff who participated in the 2005 and 2006 ROHCG surveys identified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as the most desirable therapeutic learning need. I’m proud to say that much has been done to respond to this need. I also think it is important to say that in the case of CBT, staff asked for it, and they seem poised to act on it!
Let’s briefly turn the page back to May and June of 2006. Our CBT task group composed of Dr. Carlos Miura, Dr. John Telner, Dr. Nicola Wright, Virginia Lafond, Lisa Murata, and my L&D team developed and delivered what could be called CBT month – a series of CBT events that provided education for approximately 800 participants and generated thousands of dollars of revenue that was re-invested in further education and CBT resources. The highlight of the series was a two-day workshop featuring Dr. Douglas Turkington, one of the world’s most renowned experts in CBT and co-author of the book "Cognitive Therapy in Schizophrenia" with Dr. David Kingdon in 2005.
The only tint of grey to this acclaimed event was that registration for the two-day workshop was capped at 60 at the request of Dr. Turkington. This was done to allow a small-group intimacy for the event.
Fortunately, Dr. Turkington has no such apprehension as we prepare for an encore workshop this May. The registration limit has been set at 150 participants. That affords Learning & Development the opportunity to place those who identified CBT as a priority with the opportunity to participate in this great workshop.
We offered 40 sponsored registrations and I must confess that I expected between 20 to 30 applicants. By March 26 we received 46 applications. Of course we must now declare the submission process is over. But it’s exciting to witness the fact that the Needs Assessment results were clear, accurate, and that staff and students acted on the follow-up opportunity. Here comes my favorite saying:
“That’s how a Learning Organization is supposed to work”.
· We will process 46 sponsorships. That means up to 1/3rd of participants will represent the Royal
· That represents $8,500 of conference revenue.
· 13 participants from the ROHCG Social Work community of practice
· 15 participants from the ROHCG Nursing community of practice
· 13 participants from the ROHCG Psychology community of practice (staff and students)
· 5 other allied health participants
When we began this CBT Education journey in 2005 Dr. Carlos Miura explained his vision of the ROHCG inheriting a culture of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and his hope that the ROHCG will become a world leader in CBT. I’m hopeful this initiative will move us much closer to his vision.
Staff who participated in the 2005 and 2006 ROHCG surveys identified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as the most desirable therapeutic learning need. I’m proud to say that much has been done to respond to this need. I also think it is important to say that in the case of CBT, staff asked for it, and they seem poised to act on it!
Let’s briefly turn the page back to May and June of 2006. Our CBT task group composed of Dr. Carlos Miura, Dr. John Telner, Dr. Nicola Wright, Virginia Lafond, Lisa Murata, and my L&D team developed and delivered what could be called CBT month – a series of CBT events that provided education for approximately 800 participants and generated thousands of dollars of revenue that was re-invested in further education and CBT resources. The highlight of the series was a two-day workshop featuring Dr. Douglas Turkington, one of the world’s most renowned experts in CBT and co-author of the book "Cognitive Therapy in Schizophrenia" with Dr. David Kingdon in 2005.
The only tint of grey to this acclaimed event was that registration for the two-day workshop was capped at 60 at the request of Dr. Turkington. This was done to allow a small-group intimacy for the event.
Fortunately, Dr. Turkington has no such apprehension as we prepare for an encore workshop this May. The registration limit has been set at 150 participants. That affords Learning & Development the opportunity to place those who identified CBT as a priority with the opportunity to participate in this great workshop.
We offered 40 sponsored registrations and I must confess that I expected between 20 to 30 applicants. By March 26 we received 46 applications. Of course we must now declare the submission process is over. But it’s exciting to witness the fact that the Needs Assessment results were clear, accurate, and that staff and students acted on the follow-up opportunity. Here comes my favorite saying:
“That’s how a Learning Organization is supposed to work”.
· We will process 46 sponsorships. That means up to 1/3rd of participants will represent the Royal
· That represents $8,500 of conference revenue.
· 13 participants from the ROHCG Social Work community of practice
· 15 participants from the ROHCG Nursing community of practice
· 13 participants from the ROHCG Psychology community of practice (staff and students)
· 5 other allied health participants
When we began this CBT Education journey in 2005 Dr. Carlos Miura explained his vision of the ROHCG inheriting a culture of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and his hope that the ROHCG will become a world leader in CBT. I’m hopeful this initiative will move us much closer to his vision.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
A Breach of Trust?
As per our Blog Policy - the comments and opinions in this article are those of the author and do not represent the organization.
When I was asked to pinch-hit in the Communications Department there were a couple of internal communication practices/policies that I was determined to improve; the most significant was based on comments from staff focus groups and surveys that indicated your frustration with the lack of communication following safety and facility service incidents within our hospital walls.
I swore that would not happen while Communications served you under my watch!
We had the incident where magnetic door locks failed. I communicated (on behalf of Sr. Leadership) our concern and response within 24 hours to all ROMHC staff.
More recently we had a security breach in the change rooms of the ROMHC Gymnasium. Again, we communicated within two days after getting the details and action plan developed.
Let me add that we also present Staff Forum audio in place of written summaries. You may remember that Communications was criticised for softening, often neglecting the comments in their post-forum documents. Now you hear them as they happened.
I have received very kind feedback on this change of communications culture. But on February 24th I saw my internal email comments in the Ottawa Citizen in an article entitled "A Royal Mess". Our internal communication efforts were used by anti-P3 lobbyists as ammunition to serve their cause toward embarrassing the organization.
Maybe it's just me - but I felt betrayed! Can someone tell me how I can continue being responsive to staff's request for open and responsive communication when we can't trust that our expressions of regret and concern won't end up in the public media?
It's a cultural practice I want to maintain. But if you support the position that anything published internally is public domain and can be re-purposed in the public media, there's no way Leadership can risk being open, sincere, and honest through written communication.
If you are like me and upset that our internal communications appear in public newspapers then I urge you to say so to your labour representatives. Trust involves two sides.
I agreed with staff about the lack of communication through the years. It makes me sad if we can't change that because we can't trust that someone will use it for alternative political exploitation.
When I was asked to pinch-hit in the Communications Department there were a couple of internal communication practices/policies that I was determined to improve; the most significant was based on comments from staff focus groups and surveys that indicated your frustration with the lack of communication following safety and facility service incidents within our hospital walls.
I swore that would not happen while Communications served you under my watch!
We had the incident where magnetic door locks failed. I communicated (on behalf of Sr. Leadership) our concern and response within 24 hours to all ROMHC staff.
More recently we had a security breach in the change rooms of the ROMHC Gymnasium. Again, we communicated within two days after getting the details and action plan developed.
Let me add that we also present Staff Forum audio in place of written summaries. You may remember that Communications was criticised for softening, often neglecting the comments in their post-forum documents. Now you hear them as they happened.
I have received very kind feedback on this change of communications culture. But on February 24th I saw my internal email comments in the Ottawa Citizen in an article entitled "A Royal Mess". Our internal communication efforts were used by anti-P3 lobbyists as ammunition to serve their cause toward embarrassing the organization.
Maybe it's just me - but I felt betrayed! Can someone tell me how I can continue being responsive to staff's request for open and responsive communication when we can't trust that our expressions of regret and concern won't end up in the public media?
It's a cultural practice I want to maintain. But if you support the position that anything published internally is public domain and can be re-purposed in the public media, there's no way Leadership can risk being open, sincere, and honest through written communication.
If you are like me and upset that our internal communications appear in public newspapers then I urge you to say so to your labour representatives. Trust involves two sides.
I agreed with staff about the lack of communication through the years. It makes me sad if we can't change that because we can't trust that someone will use it for alternative political exploitation.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Dirty Dance
The opinions and comments in this article represent those of the author and not the ROHCG.
Sitting on the inside of the Communications Department for the past six months has confirmed my worst fear about the dirty dance between Corporate Communications and the Media. It’s a very costly exercise that doesn’t contribute much value to the organization. In fact it drains resources and energy from the core mission of the ROHCG.
My example is a recent rash of stories and phone calls around the controversial P3 model of the ROHCG. We all know how divisive this issue has become. It has put our Communications Department in a continuous position of defense for months.
When asked to assist in Communications I did what I always do when embarking into the unknown; I consulted the works of Peter Drucker. It took just minutes before I agreed that the primary objective of a Communications Department is to serve the staff – to address all communication needs required to enable our employees to be their best. The trap many Communications departments fall into is when they serve the corporate image above and beyond the internal needs of the organization.
It’s not an oversight on our part. Our skeleton team has unfortunately had to relegate our services to our colleagues in IMHR and Foundation out of necessity until it can return to capacity. Instead we are forced into “image protection” by an external media campaign that is relentless in its mission to tattoo P3 hospitals (and we are one big target) as enemies of public healthcare.
Guess who pays – you and me. Here’s an example:
· The communications team is forced to spend more time gathering information and taking counter-positions in dealing with the media each time a reporter calls
· It almost always requires a Leadership Team member to drop their work to be the official spokesperson for the counter-message
· To counteract the negative news, the department is led to believe it needs to amplify other media campaigns to place positive messaging into the community to raise its image profile
These are important actions, no doubt. But our social responsibility to this community, to this region, is to help the people who enter our building with a mental illness leave the building a healthier person, and to support the people who will continue to support the client when they return to the community. In today’s health care system we need every dollar, every person who can help us do that.
When an external group chooses to use the media to point out our shortcomings, or to debate issues like P3 in the media it’s like opening the door in January. Dollars, energy and effort get sucked out the door to deal with the media problem – and the cost to services and programs is significant.
I’ve been a reporter. I can now see this dance from both sides. I hope that someday, someone has the courage to change the rules of engagement with the media to put an end to this nonsense.
Sitting on the inside of the Communications Department for the past six months has confirmed my worst fear about the dirty dance between Corporate Communications and the Media. It’s a very costly exercise that doesn’t contribute much value to the organization. In fact it drains resources and energy from the core mission of the ROHCG.
My example is a recent rash of stories and phone calls around the controversial P3 model of the ROHCG. We all know how divisive this issue has become. It has put our Communications Department in a continuous position of defense for months.
When asked to assist in Communications I did what I always do when embarking into the unknown; I consulted the works of Peter Drucker. It took just minutes before I agreed that the primary objective of a Communications Department is to serve the staff – to address all communication needs required to enable our employees to be their best. The trap many Communications departments fall into is when they serve the corporate image above and beyond the internal needs of the organization.
It’s not an oversight on our part. Our skeleton team has unfortunately had to relegate our services to our colleagues in IMHR and Foundation out of necessity until it can return to capacity. Instead we are forced into “image protection” by an external media campaign that is relentless in its mission to tattoo P3 hospitals (and we are one big target) as enemies of public healthcare.
Guess who pays – you and me. Here’s an example:
· The communications team is forced to spend more time gathering information and taking counter-positions in dealing with the media each time a reporter calls
· It almost always requires a Leadership Team member to drop their work to be the official spokesperson for the counter-message
· To counteract the negative news, the department is led to believe it needs to amplify other media campaigns to place positive messaging into the community to raise its image profile
These are important actions, no doubt. But our social responsibility to this community, to this region, is to help the people who enter our building with a mental illness leave the building a healthier person, and to support the people who will continue to support the client when they return to the community. In today’s health care system we need every dollar, every person who can help us do that.
When an external group chooses to use the media to point out our shortcomings, or to debate issues like P3 in the media it’s like opening the door in January. Dollars, energy and effort get sucked out the door to deal with the media problem – and the cost to services and programs is significant.
I’ve been a reporter. I can now see this dance from both sides. I hope that someday, someone has the courage to change the rules of engagement with the media to put an end to this nonsense.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
ROMHC: Nice place to work, but I wouldn’t want to socialize there!
I had the pleasure of attending a wedding during the summer with an ROHCG retiree who had devoted decades of work to the organization. She was also an icon of the ROHCG social circuit that existed in those days.
“The place isn’t the same anymore. Nobody cares about each other. The place has lost its spirit.” she said.
Still being a member of the home team, I wanted to disagree so badly. “It’s not that bad! There is still a sense of community! Don’t give me that good-ole-days stuff! But unfortunately that was the voice in my head talking. Visually I could only nod my head in agreement. I was part of that social scene in the 80’s and 90’s. The parties were the stuff of legend.
I still hold out the hope that things can change – but every few months that hope takes a hit, and the cancellation of this year’s Christmas Party is just the latest blow. I thought that last year’s party was great fun; awesome band, food, prizes, convenient location, it should have been a momentum builder. It wasn't even close to breaking even.
I don’t have a clue as to why this is the case.
· Are we so burnt out on change we don’t want to spare a single social minute off the corporate clock?
· Has our technical environment so stripped us of person-to-person contact that there simply isn’t enough to bond us for an evening together?
· Is our demographic profile too dominant with old boomers who prefer the comfort of home over most social gatherings?
One thing I do know is that it isn’t from lack of effort in creating social opportunities. The Royal Boosters worked their butts off organizing the event and trying to create the buzz and ticket sales. What a great bunch of people with the unconditional enthusiasm to create a party for us all – only to be denied with such silent pessimism.
I haven’t thrown in the towel. I probably never will. But that’s just me. I just hope when my days are done, I won’t be like my retired friend, bemoaning the good ole days at the ROHCG – but today it seems inevitable.
“The place isn’t the same anymore. Nobody cares about each other. The place has lost its spirit.” she said.
Still being a member of the home team, I wanted to disagree so badly. “It’s not that bad! There is still a sense of community! Don’t give me that good-ole-days stuff! But unfortunately that was the voice in my head talking. Visually I could only nod my head in agreement. I was part of that social scene in the 80’s and 90’s. The parties were the stuff of legend.
I still hold out the hope that things can change – but every few months that hope takes a hit, and the cancellation of this year’s Christmas Party is just the latest blow. I thought that last year’s party was great fun; awesome band, food, prizes, convenient location, it should have been a momentum builder. It wasn't even close to breaking even.
I don’t have a clue as to why this is the case.
· Are we so burnt out on change we don’t want to spare a single social minute off the corporate clock?
· Has our technical environment so stripped us of person-to-person contact that there simply isn’t enough to bond us for an evening together?
· Is our demographic profile too dominant with old boomers who prefer the comfort of home over most social gatherings?
One thing I do know is that it isn’t from lack of effort in creating social opportunities. The Royal Boosters worked their butts off organizing the event and trying to create the buzz and ticket sales. What a great bunch of people with the unconditional enthusiasm to create a party for us all – only to be denied with such silent pessimism.
I haven’t thrown in the towel. I probably never will. But that’s just me. I just hope when my days are done, I won’t be like my retired friend, bemoaning the good ole days at the ROHCG – but today it seems inevitable.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Forum Hot Topics Deserve an Action Plan
We asked our staff to contribute their burning topics for staff forums and we should honour their efforts.
The response to this OREO Survey poll was terrific, and contained a few surprises in my opinion - but that's the beautiful thing about surveys; they check your perceived reality with the reality of the group. Hopefully this results in better decisions.
Here are the list of survey topic suggestions. The only modifications that have been made are the occassional spelling and grammar corrections. If the process works then you should witness better informing on many of the following issues:
· The state of our corporate finances and the decisions being made around our financial state (e.g. job freezes, slow hires, operating and capital budgets) Finances of hospital
· I think the staff forums have been doing a good job at addressing different issues each time.
· TRANSITION ISSUES
· Strategic direction and focus of the Leadership Team
· Budget plans, program/staff changes; personal safety, parking updates; on site relationships with THICC,Carillion,Montfort
· Anything that is relevant to our day to day work requirements.
· Safety in the workplace. Is the staff to patient ratio truly correct?
· community integration efforts
· The budget. Exactly what is the deficit and where has it been incurred? Why are we funding IMHR when clinical services are suffering? Why as a centre of excellence do we now have no education coordinators, no clinician in learning and development and no funding for staff education?
· use of Zen gardens by staff, more security staff available
· Contract Negotiations
· Malfunction, safety and security on units
· risks that were identified post move
· More open communication on current issues/ changes, and impacts.
· Not enough places to meet with patients on the units.
· OPSEU Negotiations as a STANDING ITEM
· Hold sessions more often. Including a session re.budget issues - ROP, ROHCG, IMHR, Brockville
· Attitude among staff/ lack of respect for management/ poor work ethic
· Any changes, youth program move update, cutbacks etc
· Updates on changes throughout the hospital with respect to new roles, new leadership, etc.
· Focus on accomplishments, applaud initiatives, congratulate teams for their efforts, status of financial situation, status of facilities (e.g. Youth wing, wireless network, parking, plumbing, rental office space), introduction of new organizational initiatives, updates to organization chart and status of filling vacancies
· Perhaps at the next BMHC forum you can mention the giving tree and encourage people to grab a tag
· Communication throughout the Hospital
· Budget, future directions, youth program direction
· Continue to update us in changes in the organization as they occur
· Issues happening at the hospital, ex: phone, computer, budget, morale, etc.
· financial status and it's implication on services and personnel
· Staffing; budget and finance; IM update; Construction;
· More discussion on financial issues, as well as planned changes.
· The inappropriateness of using the hospital wide email to discuss personal views- Peter Youell's blog seems like a great democratic alternative for discussions
· Issues that have been raised in past forum - provide what have been taken care of.
· update on wireless, updates on Brockville's future
· Occupational Health - the importance of reporting incidents and proper procedure for doing so.
· There are different issues affecting various programs/areas in the organization, though it is unreasonable address all in a forum, it would be nice to see someone take ownership of some of the issues similar to what Bill Gillis has addressed with IT issues.
· Why it takes management so long to sign a collective agreement with opseu?
· leadership changes; budgets staff morale
· IT
· Transfer of EGU to BGH?
· transparency when a "rumor" hits the email - have management step up and clarify rather than just letting it run
· IS / Construction status / Executive Team updates
· What is the management philosophy?
· Ask regular staff for suggestions to get rid of the budget deficit.
· Results and actions on healthy workplace initiatives
· budget / IM / construction
· Settlements of past union issues/retro pay. Future of Elmgrove Inpatient and services.
· Patient Safety issues; organizational structure; accreditation
· We need to know in which direction this hospital is going, where the "leadership" team wishes to go. We need much more transparency from upper management. The staff of this institution will always pull together if they believe that management is being straight with them, i.e. budget deficits etc. We don't appreciate being treated like "mushrooms".
· The direction of the Leadership Team.
· Updates on changes (i.e., policy changes), various problems, lay-offs.
· Changes in management, staffing, patient care
· The most important will be the forum where the new budget will be presented and hopefully we are given a clear idea of how this will affect services and jobs. The most important topic after that happens will be the presentation of a clear mandate for this facility. An explanation of which services we will continue to provide to the community and which services will be provided elsewhere. I think for the sake of consistency and smooth operation and transition we all need to know what services we can offer. This needs to be accompanied by a written statement from the leadership team. This should be posted on our external and internal web site so that those looking for services will not be misinformed or mislead. As it now stands there are too many different answers being given by different departments and individuals resulting in general confusion? I was told that our mandate and those of the community partners and other hospitals still have to be agreed upon. However, if this agreement is not forthcoming soon (and we have been waiting over 6 years for this agreement) then perhaps this facility needs to state publicly what we in fact do and what we cannot do and that needs to be conveyed in a consistent manner. Therefore this needs to be dealt with at an open forum. We all need to be provided with a written copy that we can then distribute to those (e.g. physicians' offices) who require our services...
· Deficit implications. Knowing even when we might have news about this.
· regular construction updates
· A well defined outline of the future direction of this institution i.e.: program or service cuts, ambulatory care to continue in all programs currently having outpatient services or not, PCOB where is this at, Code White policy under patient safety umbrella - where are we with this, The LHINs are starting up now - what kinds of linkages do we have with these boards and what kinds of services are we negotiating, discussion around difficulties with the current psychiatric emergency services, transferring of outpatients in crisis to the Ottawa Hospital, wait times, how transferring agencies feel about the process, the "lip" we get from police and ambulance personnel who respond, what is our hospital doing to resolve these difficulties. What is happening with the ROP, the real truth and nothing but the truth, what is going on with IMHR, is it as the rumor mill says all smoke and glass without substance, and the foundation "where has all the money gone" long time passing. Why are people bailing left right and centre and why capable people are being dismissed? We could go on for ever.
· More info on support systems re: hospital wide phones etc.
· would prefer to hear from administration i.e. changes, developments etc
· budget/staffing, service cuts
· policy changes, upcoming events
· the new LHIN system, its impact on us at BMHC, update the federal interest on us
· Budget, ROHCG restructuring
· Any nursing issues
· Updates on the status of Royal Ottawa Place
· Provide as much information to staff as possible.
· Follow-up to the IS situation / Board of Trustees and new Interim leadership plans
· Where are we going -what's the game plan? Who are the players? what are the strategies to win the game of providing mental health and well being for all
· Need reports of ongoing issues being resolved, for example, coat hooks and boot trays!
· good news - make it up if you have to (just kidding)
· Same comments as the previous survey that was distributed on this topic
· SAFETY (STAFF & PATIENT), WIRELESS PROBLEMS
· how we are advocating for more services and access for people with mental health issues
· Address all changes. Let changes be known to us if they're not obvious. Review previous concerns brought to Leadership Team so staff know what has been dealt with and how, and why not if not.
· Budget issues and implications discussed in an open and transparent manner
· LHINS and how it will impact us.
· Vision of where the organization is going as a regional, specialized provider
· Any urgent issues at the time
· Corporate Culture improvement
· staff safety issues/pt assaults
· patient safety and staffing concerns-- budget management and possible lay offs
· Safety/security/budget issues re. Hospital
The response to this OREO Survey poll was terrific, and contained a few surprises in my opinion - but that's the beautiful thing about surveys; they check your perceived reality with the reality of the group. Hopefully this results in better decisions.
Here are the list of survey topic suggestions. The only modifications that have been made are the occassional spelling and grammar corrections. If the process works then you should witness better informing on many of the following issues:
· The state of our corporate finances and the decisions being made around our financial state (e.g. job freezes, slow hires, operating and capital budgets) Finances of hospital
· I think the staff forums have been doing a good job at addressing different issues each time.
· TRANSITION ISSUES
· Strategic direction and focus of the Leadership Team
· Budget plans, program/staff changes; personal safety, parking updates; on site relationships with THICC,Carillion,Montfort
· Anything that is relevant to our day to day work requirements.
· Safety in the workplace. Is the staff to patient ratio truly correct?
· community integration efforts
· The budget. Exactly what is the deficit and where has it been incurred? Why are we funding IMHR when clinical services are suffering? Why as a centre of excellence do we now have no education coordinators, no clinician in learning and development and no funding for staff education?
· use of Zen gardens by staff, more security staff available
· Contract Negotiations
· Malfunction, safety and security on units
· risks that were identified post move
· More open communication on current issues/ changes, and impacts.
· Not enough places to meet with patients on the units.
· OPSEU Negotiations as a STANDING ITEM
· Hold sessions more often. Including a session re.budget issues - ROP, ROHCG, IMHR, Brockville
· Attitude among staff/ lack of respect for management/ poor work ethic
· Any changes, youth program move update, cutbacks etc
· Updates on changes throughout the hospital with respect to new roles, new leadership, etc.
· Focus on accomplishments, applaud initiatives, congratulate teams for their efforts, status of financial situation, status of facilities (e.g. Youth wing, wireless network, parking, plumbing, rental office space), introduction of new organizational initiatives, updates to organization chart and status of filling vacancies
· Perhaps at the next BMHC forum you can mention the giving tree and encourage people to grab a tag
· Communication throughout the Hospital
· Budget, future directions, youth program direction
· Continue to update us in changes in the organization as they occur
· Issues happening at the hospital, ex: phone, computer, budget, morale, etc.
· financial status and it's implication on services and personnel
· Staffing; budget and finance; IM update; Construction;
· More discussion on financial issues, as well as planned changes.
· The inappropriateness of using the hospital wide email to discuss personal views- Peter Youell's blog seems like a great democratic alternative for discussions
· Issues that have been raised in past forum - provide what have been taken care of.
· update on wireless, updates on Brockville's future
· Occupational Health - the importance of reporting incidents and proper procedure for doing so.
· There are different issues affecting various programs/areas in the organization, though it is unreasonable address all in a forum, it would be nice to see someone take ownership of some of the issues similar to what Bill Gillis has addressed with IT issues.
· Why it takes management so long to sign a collective agreement with opseu?
· leadership changes; budgets staff morale
· IT
· Transfer of EGU to BGH?
· transparency when a "rumor" hits the email - have management step up and clarify rather than just letting it run
· IS / Construction status / Executive Team updates
· What is the management philosophy?
· Ask regular staff for suggestions to get rid of the budget deficit.
· Results and actions on healthy workplace initiatives
· budget / IM / construction
· Settlements of past union issues/retro pay. Future of Elmgrove Inpatient and services.
· Patient Safety issues; organizational structure; accreditation
· We need to know in which direction this hospital is going, where the "leadership" team wishes to go. We need much more transparency from upper management. The staff of this institution will always pull together if they believe that management is being straight with them, i.e. budget deficits etc. We don't appreciate being treated like "mushrooms".
· The direction of the Leadership Team.
· Updates on changes (i.e., policy changes), various problems, lay-offs.
· Changes in management, staffing, patient care
· The most important will be the forum where the new budget will be presented and hopefully we are given a clear idea of how this will affect services and jobs. The most important topic after that happens will be the presentation of a clear mandate for this facility. An explanation of which services we will continue to provide to the community and which services will be provided elsewhere. I think for the sake of consistency and smooth operation and transition we all need to know what services we can offer. This needs to be accompanied by a written statement from the leadership team. This should be posted on our external and internal web site so that those looking for services will not be misinformed or mislead. As it now stands there are too many different answers being given by different departments and individuals resulting in general confusion? I was told that our mandate and those of the community partners and other hospitals still have to be agreed upon. However, if this agreement is not forthcoming soon (and we have been waiting over 6 years for this agreement) then perhaps this facility needs to state publicly what we in fact do and what we cannot do and that needs to be conveyed in a consistent manner. Therefore this needs to be dealt with at an open forum. We all need to be provided with a written copy that we can then distribute to those (e.g. physicians' offices) who require our services...
· Deficit implications. Knowing even when we might have news about this.
· regular construction updates
· A well defined outline of the future direction of this institution i.e.: program or service cuts, ambulatory care to continue in all programs currently having outpatient services or not, PCOB where is this at, Code White policy under patient safety umbrella - where are we with this, The LHINs are starting up now - what kinds of linkages do we have with these boards and what kinds of services are we negotiating, discussion around difficulties with the current psychiatric emergency services, transferring of outpatients in crisis to the Ottawa Hospital, wait times, how transferring agencies feel about the process, the "lip" we get from police and ambulance personnel who respond, what is our hospital doing to resolve these difficulties. What is happening with the ROP, the real truth and nothing but the truth, what is going on with IMHR, is it as the rumor mill says all smoke and glass without substance, and the foundation "where has all the money gone" long time passing. Why are people bailing left right and centre and why capable people are being dismissed? We could go on for ever.
· More info on support systems re: hospital wide phones etc.
· would prefer to hear from administration i.e. changes, developments etc
· budget/staffing, service cuts
· policy changes, upcoming events
· the new LHIN system, its impact on us at BMHC, update the federal interest on us
· Budget, ROHCG restructuring
· Any nursing issues
· Updates on the status of Royal Ottawa Place
· Provide as much information to staff as possible.
· Follow-up to the IS situation / Board of Trustees and new Interim leadership plans
· Where are we going -what's the game plan? Who are the players? what are the strategies to win the game of providing mental health and well being for all
· Need reports of ongoing issues being resolved, for example, coat hooks and boot trays!
· good news - make it up if you have to (just kidding)
· Same comments as the previous survey that was distributed on this topic
· SAFETY (STAFF & PATIENT), WIRELESS PROBLEMS
· how we are advocating for more services and access for people with mental health issues
· Address all changes. Let changes be known to us if they're not obvious. Review previous concerns brought to Leadership Team so staff know what has been dealt with and how, and why not if not.
· Budget issues and implications discussed in an open and transparent manner
· LHINS and how it will impact us.
· Vision of where the organization is going as a regional, specialized provider
· Any urgent issues at the time
· Corporate Culture improvement
· staff safety issues/pt assaults
· patient safety and staffing concerns-- budget management and possible lay offs
· Safety/security/budget issues re. Hospital
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Long-service Ceremony: Long in the tooth or longing for consistency
We’re learning some lessons about tampering with a traditional event such as our Long-Service Award Ceremony. The announcement of format changes has been greeted with a consistent stream of negative feedback, and not all of it could be considered respectful.
What we can obviously acknowledge is the fact that many, including myself, enjoyed that evening in May when we could enjoy a delicious meal with our cadre of cronies. So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by the tide of discontent when offering an alternate format toward extending corporate appreciation.
But there is a considerable gap in the conversation. The dialogue to date is one-dimensional, and no dignified organization would condone the proliferation of a gang-style barrage of emails to voice disapproval of an event that has not yet happened. Past corporate communication policies have tried to prohibit this from occuring, but if we want to live our corporate value of openness, there may be another electronic communication solution.
A blog like this can level the playing field, and there is another side to this Long-service Ceremony issue.
· Some frame it as a cost saving issue. The difference in the cost of this year’s format is anticipated to be less than 5% of the cost of the old format, a savings that will be considered irrelevant in a moment.
· The representation from our colleagues in Brockville was very low. This was a made-in-Ottawa event that did not successfully adjust to respectfully include both sites.
· Even in Ottawa approximately 60% of staff could not/did not attend or bother to pick up recognition prizes. For the critics who frame it as a financial issue, more money has been lost through non-participation in the old format than saved in the new format.
· There are people, albeit quiet, who asked for a change when the organizers solicited their feedback. What about those 2/3rds of staff who could not be recognized in the old format? Do they not deserve a voice? Of course they do.
· The organization views employee reward and recognition as a 12-month project. The recent Fall Harvest Country Fair and ROMHC BBQ are examples of events that involve a lot of people and dollars.
I don’t make these points to suggest this new long-service format is the obvious thing to do, but only to make the conversation fair and to end the “piling on” that is occurring in a one-side e-mail dialogue. The old format wasn't perfect. In fact some of the flaws were significant, but it was also an appreciated event in the minds of those who could participate.
This year’s event will be evaluated and we can only hope that staff will be honest and respectful in their participation and assessment.
You can continue the conversation through this blog because it is our intention to continue the dialogue, debate or whatever you consider it. As per our Blog policy, the views presented are those of the author, not the organization, and respectful comments and opinions are gratefully encouraged.
What we can obviously acknowledge is the fact that many, including myself, enjoyed that evening in May when we could enjoy a delicious meal with our cadre of cronies. So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by the tide of discontent when offering an alternate format toward extending corporate appreciation.
But there is a considerable gap in the conversation. The dialogue to date is one-dimensional, and no dignified organization would condone the proliferation of a gang-style barrage of emails to voice disapproval of an event that has not yet happened. Past corporate communication policies have tried to prohibit this from occuring, but if we want to live our corporate value of openness, there may be another electronic communication solution.
A blog like this can level the playing field, and there is another side to this Long-service Ceremony issue.
· Some frame it as a cost saving issue. The difference in the cost of this year’s format is anticipated to be less than 5% of the cost of the old format, a savings that will be considered irrelevant in a moment.
· The representation from our colleagues in Brockville was very low. This was a made-in-Ottawa event that did not successfully adjust to respectfully include both sites.
· Even in Ottawa approximately 60% of staff could not/did not attend or bother to pick up recognition prizes. For the critics who frame it as a financial issue, more money has been lost through non-participation in the old format than saved in the new format.
· There are people, albeit quiet, who asked for a change when the organizers solicited their feedback. What about those 2/3rds of staff who could not be recognized in the old format? Do they not deserve a voice? Of course they do.
· The organization views employee reward and recognition as a 12-month project. The recent Fall Harvest Country Fair and ROMHC BBQ are examples of events that involve a lot of people and dollars.
I don’t make these points to suggest this new long-service format is the obvious thing to do, but only to make the conversation fair and to end the “piling on” that is occurring in a one-side e-mail dialogue. The old format wasn't perfect. In fact some of the flaws were significant, but it was also an appreciated event in the minds of those who could participate.
This year’s event will be evaluated and we can only hope that staff will be honest and respectful in their participation and assessment.
You can continue the conversation through this blog because it is our intention to continue the dialogue, debate or whatever you consider it. As per our Blog policy, the views presented are those of the author, not the organization, and respectful comments and opinions are gratefully encouraged.
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