Unfit facility – manager

Government’s plan to build a new state-of-the-art Geriatric Hospital has been welcomed by the manager of the existing facility who says the Beckles Road, St Michael plant is not adequate to meet the needs of either clients or staff.

According to Heather Payne-Drakes, the current hospital built in the 19th Century is not conducive to delivering optimum medical care or promoting independent living for clients.

Additionally, she lamented that there is low morale among staff because the facilities and programmes do not cater to their administrative and recreational requirements.

“In addition to providing for our clients, we also are concerned with our staff. The present facility basically provides for the care of clients in the absence of staff amenities, which does not augur well for staff morale,” Payne-Drakes said during Wednesday’s Barbados Tourism Investment Inc (BTI) virtual public consultation on the proposed construction of a new hospital at Waterford Bottom, St Michael, within the environs of the National Botanical Gardens.

“The new facility is designed to be conducive to the delivery of quality care by staff, providing basic amenities for staff satisfaction and comfort – amenities to provide breaks away from the clinical areas, cafeteria for the provision of on-site meals, changing facilities with facilities for showers, [and] overnight facilities for staff working for extended hours.”

Further explaining the conditions at the existing hospital, Payne-Drakes said the administrative offices are inadequate and cramped, resulting in some administrative functions having to be conducted off-site.

She said this resulted in inefficiencies and delays in routine accounting and personnel functions as they involve the physical transfer of documentation between separate locations.

“In addition, the building, as has been stated before, is old and the feasibility of continued upgrades is not tenable. In 2018, two out of the 18 wards were refurbished at an approximate cost of just over BDS$200 000. This work was done in partnership with the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) and, as a result, most of the labour costs were not included in this expenditure,” the hospital manager said, adding that finding temporary accommodation for clients while repairs are being done is also a major problem.

Noting that the Geriatric Hospital was established in 1884, Payne-Drakes said times were changing and elderly clients required a higher standard as well as medical attention to flourish and enjoy the later stages of life.

“The goal then, in our services, is getting clients to reach their optimum functionality, promoting dignity throughout all phases of care, and maintaining independent living for as long as possible. The new facility is designed to bring greater focus on rehabilitation to improve and maintain physical and mental functionality which improves medical outcomes and promotes the overall well-being of clients.

“In addition to rehabilitation, it would also provide for enhancement of therapeutic dietary services and podiatry. These services are essential for maintaining the health and well-being of clients in long-term care,” she said, adding that having access to gardens and a chapel at the proposed facility would be a plus for clients.

Another concern about the existing hospital is its close proximity to the coastline, presenting a threat to staff and clients in the event of significant bad weather.

Payne-Drakes explained that while the hospital may be ordered evacuated if a major storm was projected to impact the south of the country, and plans are in place to facilitate the process, having to relocate 278 elderly clients over a 48-hour period would prove to be a major disruption.

The BTI is leading the new Geriatric Hospital project. (AH)