COI probe of GPHC’s Matron…Report highlights Matron’s view that nursing should be void of interference

Feb 26, 2017 News

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“Nursing is a profession in its own right with a set of dedicated rules and there should be no

interference either from the administration or the medical practitioners.” This has been the vocalised conviction of embattled Director of Nursing Services (Matron) at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Sister Collene Hicks.
But it was this very view embraced by the Nursing Director that created a protracted conflict at the premier health institution.
Based on an investigation conducted by a Committee that was appointed by the former GPHC Board, it was found that “the Director appears indifferent to the need to foster teamwork between the medical practitioners and the nurses, so vitally necessary, indeed indispensable, to the delivery and enhancement of quality patient care.”
The Committee detailed in a report, which this publication was privy to that “because of the Director’s attitude to stoutly defending and protecting “turf” any attempt by the administration and the medical practitioners to influence her to find a compromise arrangement between the need to rotate nurses periodically on the one hand in order to gain all-round experience, and some measure of flexibility for nurses to specialise in order to foster teamwork and team spirit on the other hand, was not only frowned upon but was also aggressively resisted.”
Consequently, the Committee revealed in its report, there has been a stand-off between the Director and the medical practitioners which resulted in the signing of a petition by 149 staff members comprising consultants, medical practitioners and nurses. Of importance, the report noted, concerns were already expressed by 19 consultants and senior doctors spanning a period of almost one year.
Apart from the fact that there is no documented policy regarding the rotation of nurses, the Committee, in its report, said that the situation has been exacerbated by the severe shortage of nurses as well as their general attitude to work, including a lack of professionalism, lateness and absenteeism, for which there was little evidence of any disciplinary action being taken.
It was reported that several witnesses testified about the removal of nurses from specialty areas, including the Diabetic Food Centre, Accident and Emergency Unit, Paediatric Unit, Cardiology Unit and Psychiatry Holding, among others, without any form of consultation with the concerned doctors.
To this extent, there has been some undoing of progress made by the previous Director of Nursing Services in fostering teamwork and team spirit between the consultants and the medical practitioners to enable nurses to follow their passion for serving in specialised areas.
This publication understands that a total of 52 employees testified before the Committee.
And the Committee has outlined that “From the testimonies of the consultants, medical practitioners, nurses and other employees of GPHC, as well as from a review of the various correspondences, difficulties were experienced in accessing the Director of Nursing Services.”
Examples cited in the report included that “doctors were instructed to make an appointment with the Director’s Secretary…One doctor testified that he was made to wait 90 minutes outside of the Director’s office and had to leave without seeing her.”
In fact, it was disclosed that there is conclusive evidence that the Director of Nursing Services routinely breached protocols and written agreements, including the failure to follow instructions. Several examples have been cited in the report to support the allegations of these breaches.
“Of particular note is a letter from the Chief Executive Officer to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, outlining the acts of insubordination on the part of the Director. This resulted in the termination of her services which was put on hold following the intervention of the Guyana Public Service Union and a member of the GPHC Board,” the report stated.
From the testimonies as well as from examination of various correspondences, the Committee said that it unanimously concluded that “the continued engagement of Ms. Collene Hicks in her capacity as Director of Nursing Services would not be in the best interest of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.”
Former Senior Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton had shared that Cabinet was expected to determine the way forward. However, the current Senior Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, in an invited comment asserted, “The Board will be expected to carry out its full mandate as prescribed within the law.”
“I expect that given the gamut of issues which presently exist at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation that the Board [will address these issues]. I intend when I meet with them to outline several of those issues and ask that they fashion their agenda to address those issues,” Minister Lawrence underscored.
It is therefore expected that the issue concerning the Nursing Director will be among the top priorities of the recently installed GPHC Board of Directors.

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