MGEU President Lois Wales is sending a letter to MGEU paramedics to update them on the issue of fatigue and what is being done on their behalf.  The text of the letter is as follows: 

Dear Member:

I’m writing to give the MGEU paramedics community an update on the fatigue issue and what the union has been up to recently on this issue. Your union has been quite active in pursuing this issue and we’ve seen some movement from the government and the EMS branch in terms of how things will change in the future. After repeatedly bringing the problem up with decision makers, it seems we’re finally on the cusp of some meaningful changes.

The union leadership has met with Minister of Health Theresa Oswald, the director of EMS branch, and we’ve also been involved in a meeting with EMS supervisors and regional health authorities. There is no doubt that all involved recognize that there needs to be change in how rural EMS operates to ensure the safety of patients, paramedics, and the public.

A number of updates are in order:

1) In the short-term, we’ve asked for clarification from the government and EMS branch on what the proper procedures are for paramedics who are experiencing the kind of fatigue that makes transport and medical decision-making a health and safety issue. Too often, it has been left up to the RHA and supervisors to determine a policy and protocol, and we all know that medics are being asked to continue working regardless of how long they’ve been either working or on-call/stand-by. The MGEU has been asked to participate in the formulation of the policy, which will ensure medics have a voice in the process. This will then be distributed to everyone, supervisors and RHA management included, which will provide a solid guideline to be implemented. The reality is we have to get rid of the ambiguity around what is appropriate and what is not.

2) As part of the discussions on the previously mentioned protocol, we’ll be dealing with a similar issue relating to the appropriateness of utilizing hotels when experiencing fatigue. The EMS branch has indicated there are times when this is an appropriate accommodation for medics, but medics have rarely been offered this option unless weather and road conditions have been factors. On long transfers, or in other situations, this may indeed be necessary. Again, clarity on this issue must be forthcoming, and it must be clearly communicated to medics, supervisors, and the RHAs so that there is no mistaking the policy and when it should reasonably be applied.

3) An advisory group is being developed that will include the union, the EMS branch, RHA management, and government representatives to investigate long-term solutions to the fatigue problems. Our plan is to deal with the protocol mentioned above in the short-term, and then begin work dealing with this issue in the longer term as part of the advisory group.

4) I want to provide an update on our presentation to the EMS Review Committee. The MGEU met with the EMS Review Chairperson Reg Toews on September 5th. At the meeting, we discussed the many ideas and issues presented to MGEU on the recent province-wide that TPP Director Wayne Chacun undertook in your communities. Some of the issues discussed included IFTs, issues relating to on-call/stand-by, the need for better utilization of available technology, the need for a provincial EMS system, possible changes to the role of EMS directors and other medical personnel, staffing models, and education and training, among others. Our discussions were positive, and Mr. Toews reinforced that he had been hearing many similar things on his investigative tour of Manitoba.

The advisory group is certainly a positive step forward, but it will not replace the important work being undertaken right now by Reg Toews and the EMS Review Committee. Instead, it is a commitment by government to begin working on the fatigue issues now, which should be commended. I can say we’re hearing positive things from government and EMS Director Gerry Delorme about improving things in the rural paramedic community, but as always we’ll reserve our final judgment on this commitment until we see meaningful change in how rural EMS operates.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who took time to attend a meeting in their community to talk about what changes they’d like to see in EMS in Manitoba as part of the MGEU EMS Review Consultations. As always, we’ll keep advocating on your behalf to ensure we’re headed in a positive direction.

Sincerely,

Lois Wales
MGEU President