Health P.E.I. CEO says streamlined executive team will boost accountability, performance

Health P.E.I. says it's making changes to its executive leadership team in what it calls an important step in restoring public trust. 

The main changes include the addition of the following positions: chief of governance and risk, chief of people and professional practice, and provincial chief of nursing.

"The health-care system is fairly large and complex here in Prince Edward Island, and it really needs to be well-managed," Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser said in an interview with CBC News. 

"We've streamlined the number of executives but we've put a real focus on accountability and performance." 

The changes come after the provincial health agency received audit recommendations on restructuring its executive leadership team, which currently has many senior roles being filled on an interim basis using contract employees hired through private recruitment agencies. 

Filling new positions

Fraser said Health P.E.I. has started recruiting for the new executive leadership positions in an open and transparent process, adding that anybody who wants to compete for one of the positions is welcome to do so. 

The salaries of the executive positions were approved by Health P.E.I.'s board of directors and will be made public, she said. 

"In setting these salaries, we identified our Atlantic comparators and we sought to compare our salaries to theirs," Fraser said. 

"We didn't want to lead or lag the market. We wanted to be in a place where we could recruit and retain, but still be fiscally responsible and recognize that we are a small health authority relative to some of our… comparators." 

We need an executive that is built [for] and capable of delivering the highest quality care, delivering value care and ensuring that the services are here for Islanders.— Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser

While Fraser said reducing the cost of the new executive leadership structure wasn't one of the guiding principles, she said it will be more cost-effective than what has been done in the past. 

Fraser said the last executive structure that was in place in 2024 cost about $2 million when fully staffed, while salaries for this new one are set to add up to between $1 million and $1.5 million. 

Effect on everyday Islanders

While average Islanders might not notice much of a difference when it comes to executive leadership changes within the provincial health authority, Fraser said the trickle-down effects will improve the care they get. 

"We need an executive that is built [for] and capable of delivering the highest quality care, delivering value care and ensuring that the services are here for Islanders," she said. 

"Over the course of the past year, we have — with our interim executive — been able to drive results that are quite significant relative to what we were seeing over the course of the past couple of years." 

Fraser said MRI and diagnostic imaging wait times have gone down, the number of open hospital beds has gone up and the surgical backlog has been reduced.  

Health P.E.I. has also hired more staff across the province this year compared to any previous year, Fraser said. 

"It's about having the right process, the right procedures. It's a complex, very integrated system and we need to move it all forward," she said, adding that Health P.E.I. will continue to push hard to deliver better access and lower wait times. 

"I won't be satisfied until we meet national standards or better."