Hiring underway after mammogram appointments cancelled at Charlotte County Hospital

The Department of Health is working with Horizon to resolve staffing challenges at Charlotte County Hospital in St. Stephen after some patients had their mammogram appointments cancelled, says the minister.

Health Minister John Dornan acknowledged access to mammography services at the hospital is "less than optimal" right now, but could not estimate when services will be fully restored.

"It's a human factor," he told reporters Thursday, following a health care-related announcement.

"We can't control when people decide to leave for greener fields, or for other reasons, or personal reasons, but we are aware. And so we're trying to make access more equitable, get it back to where it was before and perhaps even better."

A medical radiation technologist position is vacant, while other staff have summer holidays booked, Horizon confirmed Wednesday.

Booking appointments in October

"Some" mammography appointments at Charlotte County Hospital have been "rescheduled due to temporary seasonal staffing challenges," Jeff Carter, vice-president of quality, patient experience and professional services, said in an emailed statement.

Horizon did not immediately respond to questions about how many patients have been affected, or the types of appointments — whether they're routine screening mammograms or diagnostic mammograms for suspected cancer.

The hospital's medical imaging department, which usually operates two or three days a week, is now booking mammogram appointments into October, Carter said.

Patients who are "willing and able" might be encouraged to seek an appointment at another Horizon facility "so they can be seen as quickly as possible," he said.

As of June 11, the average wait time for a mammogram at Charlotte County Hospital was 112 days, which is comparable to the wait at St. Joseph's Hospital in Saint John.

Hiring process underway

The search for a new medical radiation technologist is underway, said Dornan.

"We are also exploring what people work in other areas of Horizon Health Network [who] may help alleviate this shortage," the minister said.

He rejected the suggestion that the system is tenuous if one vacancy and some summer vacations can wreak such havoc.

"When you have expertise in small numbers that work in areas where you do not need large numbers, it's difficult to build in a redundancy, and sometimes there are surprises … when somebody leaves," he said.

"That's an aspect of our health-care system. We don't have people sitting around doing nothing, waiting to fill a job.

"When somebody leaves, we work hard to replace them as soon as possible."

Horizon issues apology

Meanwhile, Horizon has issued an apology to "some" patients who reportedly experienced "challenges" scheduling a mammogram at the Charlotte County Hospital.

"The experiences described do not reflect the standard of care or compassion we strive to provide at Horizon, and we take this matter very seriously," Carter said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

"We are initiating a thorough review of this situation and will take all appropriate action to ensure we are delivering safe, high-quality, patient-centred care in every interaction.

"We know that timely breast screening is important, and we acknowledge the frustration that comes with delayed or cancelled appointments."

Horizon remains committed to supporting early detection and treatment by ensuring patients have access to high-quality screening, as close to home as possible, he added.