Staff shortage forces temporary closure of Lakeshore Hospital psychiatric unit

A lack of staff at the Lakeshore General Hospital in Montreal's West Island has forced the temporary closure of its psychiatric unit, with services moving to Verdun until more personnel can be hired.

The West Island regional health authority says the ward is feeling the effects of a provincewide shortage of psychiatrists — currently operating with about six of the nine it needs to maintain full service and provide the 24-hour resources some patients need.

As a result, the psychiatric unit closed its doors on Friday. Those seeking emergency care will now be triaged at the hospital and then transferred to the Douglas Institute, along with all those currently receiving care at Lakeshore.

Dr. Gustavo Turecki, chief of psychiatry at the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, says the Douglas has the capacity to take on extra patients and it's the best solution considering the staffing issues.

"We've done a re-organization of services to better provide continuity of care to the population of the West Island," said Turecki.

"There is no stop of any of the services that the population needs."

Patient care still a concern

But Kristina Hoare, vice-president of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) in the West Island, the union advocating for workers at Lakeshore, says she's concerned about how the transfer will affect patients.

"You come to the Lakeshore to get help and then they tell you we'll triage you, we'll see what's going on, then we'll probably direct you to another institution," said Hoare.

"It causes a lot of stress and, of course, as psychiatric nurses, they always have that in the back of their head: how is my patient going to react when I say this to them?"

Paul Brunet, head of the Quebec Council for the Protection of Patients, says he understands the pressure the hospital is under, but he too is worried about the effects the closure will have on patients in distress.

He says many West Islanders dealing with mental health issues are accustomed to going to Lakeshore for help. With the ward now closed, he fears some people will forego getting the care they need if they can't get the kind they're used to.

"Tragedies will occur when these people can't get the adequate help they need," said Brunet. "I don't know what we're going to do, but this is a crisis if not a tragedy in motion.

Hoare says she's received few details about the closure, including when to expect the unit to reopen. She's expecting to be able to relay more news to Lakeshore workers on Monday.

The CIUSSS says once it recruits more psychiatrists to Lakeshore, services will return.