The health authority leadership council being removed in favour of a single public administrator says the change was made without its input.
Health minister Lesa Semmler is dismissing the council’s members, who previously served as the equivalent of a board of governors for the NWT’s health authority.
In their place, she is appointing veteran Saskatchewan health boss Dan Florizone. The GNWT said no suitable NWT-based candidate was available.
The change takes effect next week.
After Tuesday’s GNWT announcement, the Health and Social Services Leadership Council put out a statement of its own.
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The leadership council said it was “disappointed that these changes were implemented without prior consultation.”
Whereas the GNWT had said an administrator would provide “enhanced strategic direction” for the health authority with the territorial health system “under increasing pressures and operational and financial challenges,” the leadership council’s statement suggested the buck stopped with the health minister.
The council said it had raised various issues with health ministers over recent years and hoped the appointment of a public administrator would see those concerns “addressed and acted upon.”
Most of the council is comprised of regional wellness council chairs. The council said those chairs would keep their regional roles and “endeavour to ensure the council’s priorities continue to be represented.”
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The council also provided a list of issues on which it said it had made progress, including the establishment of positions designed to represent patients within the healthcare system, work to reduce the health spending deficit in the NWT and the introduction of a quality assurance framework.
In a statement, leadership council chair Gerry Cheezie said: “Change is always challenging, and though I may have hoped for a different outcome with recent transitions, I am immensely proud of the pivotal role the leadership council has played in advancing the NTHSSA’s goals over the years.
“I have complete confidence that, despite any obstacles, the NTHSSA will continue to thrive and excel under this new governance structure.”
In a brief call with Cabin Radio, Cheezie declined to directly discuss the decision to remove the leadership council.
Another of the council’s members, who said they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said they supported the decision to switch to a public administrator.
‘Taking action has risks’
Multiple MLAs said they also backed the move.
Yellowknife North MLA Shauna Morgan said the change to a public administrator was “a positive and necessary step towards setting our NWT healthcare system on a path towards stabilization.”
“We still have a lot of work ahead, but I’m looking forward to supporting Mr Florizone in any ways I can as he works on both urgent and longer-term improvements,” Morgan wrote on Instagram.
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Frame Lake MLA Julian Morse, also writing on Instagram, called the change “decisive action.”
“I have met with the minister about this frequently and am assured that addressing the concerns I have been hearing from residents and frontline staff are going to be in the mandate of the new public administrator,” Morse wrote.
“I don’t expect this solution to be perfect or solve the various problems facing the system all at once, but I’m also not interested in getting stuck in perpetual inaction due to risk intolerance. Taking action has risks. Inaction in this case posed even greater risks.”
MLAs themselves were more generally criticized by the leadership council in its Tuesday statement.
The council said comments made at the legislature “questioning the competence and qualifications of NTHSSA management … were both unwarranted and inaccurate.”
The statement did not identify the precise comments or the MLAs who had made them.
“Criticizing employees and management in organizations, particularly in sectors such as health and social services where recruitment and retention are already a challenge, can have harmful effects,” the leadership council wrote.
“These types of statements can damage organizational culture, undermine trust and lower morale. Irresponsibly undermining the leadership of public agencies may discourage individuals from joining or staying in the organization.
“It is crucial for those in positions of authority and public trust to maintain professionalism and address concerns in a constructive and productive manner. Lateral violence such as this should not be tolerated, and the council hopes to see improvements in this area.”
Aastha Sethi contributed reporting.
