Hospital CEO expresses concern over mental health of staff
The BVI Health Services Authority’s (BVIHSA) Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr June Samuel has raised concerns about the mental well-being of her staff and of the possibility of them experiencing a ‘burnout’.
Staff at the BVIHSA work primarily at the territory’s various clinics and at its main hospital, the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital (DOSH) in Road Town.
Dr Samuel, a trained psychiatrist, said it has not escaped the BVIHSA Board’s notice that the hospital’s system is under stress.
“A big part of the stress has to do with how staff may be feeling and how staff might be feeling has a lot of concerns in there,“ Dr Samuel said on the Talking Points radio show recently.
According to Dr Samuel, staff held concerns about their personal socio-economic situation, their working conditions, and the relationships within the organization.
Dr Samuel said there are also concerns among the professionals and members of the technical team at the BVIHSA about being able to deliver the level and quality of care they know they are capable of doing.
She explained that this was being considered within the context of the staff not having all the resources that are sometimes needed.
“Especially for professional staff; when you are in a situation where you can’t deliver necessarily at the standard that you would like to, it can cause what we call moral injury and that can contribute to stress and burnout,“ Dr Samuel stated.
“As a mental health professional,” she added, “I am very keenly aware of where our mindsets are within the workplace and for me, it is something that we have to address.“
Dr Samuel, a trained psychiatrist, said it has not escaped the BVIHSA Board’s notice that the hospital’s system is under stress.
“A big part of the stress has to do with how staff may be feeling and how staff might be feeling has a lot of concerns in there,“ Dr Samuel said on the Talking Points radio show recently.
According to Dr Samuel, staff held concerns about their personal socio-economic situation, their working conditions, and the relationships within the organization.
Dr Samuel said there are also concerns among the professionals and members of the technical team at the BVIHSA about being able to deliver the level and quality of care they know they are capable of doing.
She explained that this was being considered within the context of the staff not having all the resources that are sometimes needed.
“Especially for professional staff; when you are in a situation where you can’t deliver necessarily at the standard that you would like to, it can cause what we call moral injury and that can contribute to stress and burnout,“ Dr Samuel stated.
“As a mental health professional,” she added, “I am very keenly aware of where our mindsets are within the workplace and for me, it is something that we have to address.“
