The changes are set to take effect in December 2020 and will provide outpatient services at 675 McDermot Avenue (CancerCare’s provincial hub) and the CCMB sites at St. Boniface, Victoria and Grace Hospitals.
“As part of CCMB’s continued commitment to providing high-quality care, an independent review of cancer services has highlighted the benefits to access and quality of care that would come from clinical consolidation across four Winnipeg sites,” said Dr. Sri Navaratnam, president and CEO of CancerCare Manitoba.
“We are confident these changes will allow for enhanced high-quality cancer services to be delivered safely and effectively at these sites, particularly as Manitoba’s population ages and changes.”
Outpatient cancer patients currently accessing services at CancerCare sites at Concordia Hospital and Seven Oaks General Hospital are being notified of the change over the next few weeks.
Staff at the affected CancerCare sites have been informed and there is no reduction in staffing associated with the transition.
Any patient with questions can contact the patient representative at (204) 787-2065.
Nurses’ union critical of consolidation
“Nurses are deeply concerned about the announced CancerCare program transfers,” said Manitoba Nurses’ Union president Darlene Jackson in a statement.
“This will not only affect CancerCare staff, including several nurses at the Concordia and Seven Oaks hospitals, but also the patients from the surrounding catchment areas, including rural communities.”
Jackson went on say: “Protecting CancerCare services at these community hospitals is important for ensuring accessibility, improving care, and reducing burdens for CancerCare patients. Nurses at these facilities develop close relationships with patients and their loved ones, and understand the importance of providing care for patients in or near their communities in localized settings. Unfortunately, the Pallister government appears to be rushing through further consolidation in the WRHA in the midst of a global pandemic, when many patients are already experiencing heightened stress while accessing health care services. Yet again, this move appears to be more about saving money, rather than what’s in the best interest of patients.”
