P.A. left with no child psychiatrists after doctor resigns under massive workload

The only child and youth psychiatrist in Prince Albert has resigned, leaving a big gap.

On August 2, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said new admissions to the child and youth inpatient medical health and psychiatric unit in P.A. are paused until further notice.

The SHA is calling it a “temporary disruption” to psychiatry services for children and youths in the area.

“We would like to assure patients and families that meeting the care needs of current and discharged inpatients requiring ongoing follow-up and care as well as of those receiving outpatient care and on the waitlist will continue to take priority,” Andrew McLetchie, SHA’s vice-president of integrated northern health, said in a release.

McLetchie said there is a 10-bed child and adolescent unit in P.A. that would normally be managed by the child and youth psychiatrist. The unit would also be responsible for providing child and youth psychiatric outpatient services like assessments.

McLetchie said the unit, now without a child psychiatrist, had to be closed a few years ago because of a “gap in service” when one of their specialists passed away and another retired.
At that time, Dr. Randall Zbuk was recruited for the position while the province continued to look for a second doctor.

McLetchie said having only one psychiatrist to manage all that demand is not enough, especially because the P.A. services also care for northern populations.

He said Zbuk has resigned because of the overwhelming workload, and the resignation takes effect Aug. 6.

“The pressure on him as a lone provider was just not making the position attractive,” McLetchie said.

“We had psychiatrists from P.A. coming to support some of the outpatient work, but it just wasn’t enough to allow for the workload management that is required from a lone psychiatrist.”
Admissions to the inpatient unit were stopped as of July 18. The SHA is actively recruiting for at least one full-time child and adolescent psychiatrist to work in Prince Albert.

McLetchie said they have spots for two child and youth psychiatrists in P.A., and there have been discussions about increasing that to three positions. That would provide a buffer for the area so they won’t be left with a gap the next time a specialist leaves, and would also help with the collaborative work between child and youth psychiatrists and those working with adults.

“I think it’s unfortunate we weren’t able to keep Dr. Zbuk in spite of some of the changes,” McLetchie said, explaining that Zbuk raised a number of concerns about supports and resources in the area.

McLetchie said a focus for the SHA is creating a team environment to handle the pressures facing child psychiatrists in P.A., in order to improve conditions for future specialists.

He said his team is looking into a few leads for recruitment, but said there is significant demand and a very limited supply of specialists across Canada.

In the meantime, two mental health emergency holding beds are going to be maintained in P.A. to support children and youths who need urgent inpatient admission in Saskatoon or Regina.
Seventeen and 18-year-olds needing inpatient care will be managed temporarily in the P.A. adult unit.

In their release, the SHA “apologizes for any stress or anxiety this may cause, and commits to keeping the Prince Albert community updated on its recruitment efforts.”— With files from paNOW.