Sunday, February 8, 1998 — North Shore News — 7 i More surgery is needed to save LGH accountability, no inspired save Lions Gate, whose situa- leadership, no public voice in tion is fast slipping into criti- the running of what has been cal. at various times a tine com- A third opinion offered munity hospital. herein: finish the job started But, the board aside, it’s Thursday, listitute the ree- difficult to imagine that com- ommendations of the consul- munication lines on the local tation team now and bring in Lions Gate front can be fully a new CEO tor the region. reopened with the region's The North Shore can afford a current CEO at the heim. dysfunctional hospital no they are now at. But on Thursday, Health Minister Joy MacPhail short- circuited that option by firing the entire board. MacPhail, however, Jeft CEO Schamborzki standing. The heaith minister got it half right. The unelected board was not doing its job. cant changes in leadership will be required within the region to resolve the our- standing issues and to restore positive leadership and work- ing relationships.” Schamborzki's manage- ment style was dese: “bed as being “autocratic and divi- sive.” As previously chronicled A second opinion on the state of the patient’s health is in. And its prognosis is not markedly different from the first opinion delivered in this space back on Dec. 14. Our local community hos- pital is under the weather. Asian flu? Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? No. Far worse. Staff malaise; managerial miasma; smalodorous morale. You name it. Our place of ¢ health repair needs more help than most of its cliencele. The second opinion on the state of LGH’s health comes courtesy of a consulta- tion team commissioned last fall by the provincial health ministry. The team was charged with the task of reviewing the relationships within the North Shore Health Region and, more specifically, the non-relationship berween the region’s CEO Inge Schamborzki and Lions Gare Hospiral’s medical staff. Not an enviable assign- ment. In the previous column documenting the hospital's health, concern was raised by Dr. Peter Richards, president of LGH’s medical staff, over the defection of qualitied nurses from the hospital’s emergency ward. The numbers were debat- ed, but the symptom was another in what has become a death spiral in relationships between the health region and the hospital. Worse still, with no voter input, the public thar LGH serves can only stand by and watch as the unsavory melo- co--- "1 OI 1 CHANGE SPECIAL. drama plays itself out. The consultation team’s findings point fingers in vari- ous directions, but most point to the top of the man- agerial food chain at both the hospital and the health region. According to the team’s report, board initiatives aimed at effectively integrat- ing local community health services have been “overshad- owed by a significant deterio- ration over the past 12 months in the working rela- tionship within the region between the board /CEO and the hospital and medical statt.” Symptoms of that deterio- ration included votes of non- confidence by the medical staif in both the board and the CEO, the resignation of medical staff and union appointees from the regional board and the refusal of the medical staff to talk with either the board or the CEQ. An assignment for a Haman Resources SWAT team. The issues of leadership, direction, strategy and com- munication are raised repeat- edly in the 11-page report. The team notes “insuffi- cient strategy, or planning, to address” the issues involved in enabling the hospital to effectively fulfil its acute care mandate. Ic concludes that “signiti- F Inclades 5 litres of 10W/30 Pennzoil & filter f ¢Brake Inspection ~ .® Tire Rotation y. * 21 point inspection j Carwash. e Vacuuri: PSERVICE - > (Now open Saturdays 94) 981 Marine Drive North Vancouver (beside Aameo} = Bart 984-8166 5 Other Gift Facial & Manicure Aromatherapy 1 Hour Massage of Relaxation; Beauty and Love Prince or Princess Package Combination of Beauty & 587 Relaxation. Plan on 3 hours Queen or King Package A full day of total pampering designed especially tor your loved $ | 5 9 ones, Packages reg. $70 $63 reg. $55 pone reg. $50 Ask about our many other service: “unaway Bay pf | : 3101 Woodbine Drive, North Vancouver 988-8331 For hair only 986-0920 in this space, Schamborzki was originally installed in her position by the members of a hiring committee she helped pur together. A bad start. The subsequent departure of highly regarded hospital administrator Bob Smith and Schamborzki’s dismissal of LGH administrator Lynette Best last April left the hospi- ral a rudderless ship and pushed medical staff disaftec- tion into open revolt. Non-contidence motions were aired. Calls trom the doctors tor the CEO's head. Bur apparently no one was listening. At least nobody on the board. Last summer, seemingly mindless of the collective gnashing of doctors’ teeth, it renewed Schamborzki’s con- tract for three years. End of conversation. Literally. The hospital’s medical staff and the CEO no longer speak. Which is bad for the health of our community hospital. Worse still, the health board and the hospital’s med- ical staff no longer speak. And much speaking needs to be done to rectify this sorry state of affairs. The consultation team suggested giving the heads of the warring factions a chance to reconcile the loggerheads It proved a tremendous disappointment throughout the whole affair. It failed to exercise the leadership and direction needed to repair the shat- tered working relationship on both sides of the local health issue. Tt failed to properly direct CEO Schamborzki, leaving her to drive the hospital bus right off the main road. It also failed to clearly identify the skill sets and management skills of the CEO and senior management staff needed to effectively manage the region and culti- vate staff confidence. it shirked its responsibili- tes in asserting authority and accountability for policy implementation. It failed to set out clearly the roles and responsibilities of the board and the CEO. In short, it failed the pub- lic it was charged with repre- senting. And its feeble response to the findings of the report underscored its lack of vision and leadership. 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