OUT OF LEFT FIELD: And you thought the hospital closure was scary ...
By Kyra Hoggan
Anyone made uneasy by the temporary closure of Castlegar’s hospital in February and the lack of ambulance coverage in Castlegar over the holidays is going to be delighted with this latest bombshell from B.C. Ambulance Services (BCAS) – I was so horrified by what I learned here that I feel obligated to write about it through an opinion/editorial piece rather than attempting any sort of objectivity on the matter at all.
In covering ambulance issues in the region, I happened upon anecdotal evidence that BCAS doesn’t require any fitness evaluations of its paramedics after the initial fitness screening that is part of the hiring process – even if said paramedics are with the organization for decades.
I was sure that couldn’t be right – as anyone over the age of 40 knows, our bodies change dramatically as we age: degenerative diseases show up, old injuries take their toll, we gain weight, we lose strength. I simply could not believe that BCAS, with all its lofty medical expertise, had missed out on that particular newsflash.
So I called BCAS Central Kootenay Superintendent Chris Mason and started asking questions.
He acknowledged that being a paramedic is a very physically demanding job, and concurred that it’s a job with life-and-death consequences. Then he confirmed that BCAS takes no responsibility whatsoever, after hiring, to ensure their staff are physically capable of doing their jobs, insofar as any sort of regular testing or fitness evaluation.
In fact, he said they focus on ‘patient care’, so unless they get a complaint that patient care has been compromised, they assume their paramedics are up to the job. They actually wait until patient care has been compromised or someone has been injured before they’ll act at all. You read that right – they’ll do nothing until something goes wrong in what they openly acknowledge are often life-and-death situations – and even then, rather than take responsibility for evaluating their staff, they put the onus on patients (who are in crisis) or other first responders (who have to maintain working relationships with EMS to do their jobs) to come forward with a complaint. That, in my opinion, is gross negligence … if not outright criminal negligence.
Expecting the patients, who are dealing with whatever required them to call an ambulance in the first place, to lodge a complaint … that’s so ludicrous, I’m not even going to speak to it.
As for the rest – why on earth should firefighters or police have to evaluate BCAS paramedics, then jeopardize their own effectiveness in the region by bringing forward complaints? Our fire department evaluates its own staff twice a year – those who can’t pass the fitness test are given a grace period and, if they fail again, are no longer allowed out in the field. Our RCMP members undergo fitness evaluations every three years. They’re exercising due diligence in terms of the public trust (not to mention public funding) they receive, and BCAS is not only not bothering to do likewise, but is expecting police and fire … or the patients themselves … to do it for them? Seriously?
It’sbeyond outrageous, beyond appalling. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the men and women in the trenches working as paramedics, and I have no complaint with Mason, either, who is just doing his job – he didn’t write the policy, after all.
But for the powers-that-be at BCAS to first create such a policy, then to let it stand, to even defend it – I’m disgusted, and I’m frightened for the B.C. public.
Never mind the fact that actual lives are at stake. Set aside any moral issues or human decency telling you that it’s wrong to wait until some poor old woman dies because her paramedic is incapable of kneeling to administer CPR, before actually checking to see if your paramedics are physically capable of doing the job, even though you’ve accepted taxpayer dollars in the promise that they would. Set aside the fact that it’s wrong to take taxpayer money at a provincial level, then let municipal taxpayers foot the bill while local police and fire first-responders do the work that you’re not even aware that your paramedics may no longer be able to do.
All morality aside, how about the fact they’re leaving us all, the entire B.C public, open to a massive lawsuit we’d almost certainly lose? The first poor old lady that dies may come from a family without resources, or her family may be too bereft to consider legal action … but sooner or later, when your policy is to wait until something goes wrong, something will most certainly go catastrophically wrong. Maybe it’ll be third or fourth old lady’s family who will have the means and the motivation to bankrupt this province (yes, that’s us, as taxpayers) because BCAS simply couldn’t be bothered to act unless someone complained first.
And what about the paramedic? If BCAS had annual fitness tests, and not passing meant losing your job, there are no grounds for a human rights suit … you’re no longer able to do the job for which you’re being paid, and that’s that. But, if one person is singled out because of degenerative disease or morbid obesity – you can bet they’ll have grounds to sue. And you can also bet we, the taxpayers, will foot the bill for that, too.
I’ve seen more than one BCAS policy that I thought was mercenary and vile (for example, letting people work full-time hours, but designating them as part-time positions and thus not offering proper pay or benefits), and while I felt they were despicable, I could at least understand the rationale behind them (cost-savings on a tight budget).
This, though – this isn’t just morally repugnant, it’s staggeringly stupid, too … and almost guaranteed to cost us infinitely more in the long run than exercising due diligence today would.
And for those of us who want to believe that, should we ever need to dial 9-1-1, help will be en route … well, I guess it’s time to reassess.
For the sake of clarity, as well, I’d like to share with you, verbatim, the response I received from BCAS head office regarding my concerns (from spokesperson Kelsie Carwithen):
“First and foremost, patient care is the top priority for BCAS and we take care complaints very seriously. BCAS has a standardized complaint process in place to address any cases where an individual feels that inadequate patient care has been given. Individuals can contact the BCAS Patient Care Quality Office and/or the area Superintendent. Each complaint is investigated, reviewed and followed up on accordingly.
“In terms of physical assessments, BCAS conducts fitness testing for all new recruits. This test has been created to ensure staff have the ability to withstand rigors of the job. On an ongoing basis, BCAS provides health and wellness support through the following programs:
o Employee assistance program
o Comprehensive safety and control program
o Critical incident stress relief
“We are aware that paramedics may be at risk for musculoskeletal injuries. In order to mitigate these types of injuries, BCAS encourages paramedics to be fit and healthy, and to ask for assistance when lifting or moving patients. Assistance is often provided by another paramedic or first responder. BCAS works in partnership with emergency service agencies, including first responders, and health authorities to provide care across the healthcare continuum.”
Well. I feel much better now. Don’t you?
