Treatment delays at Wellness Institute

Patients who use the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute have experienced delays due to a staff shortage at the hospital.

A spokesman for the Bermuda Hospitals Board said it is waiting for a number of positions to be filled.

“Bermuda Hospitals Board has recently had to manage with a reduced number of consultant psychiatrists and residents due to recruitment challenges and the time frame required to complete the new-hire process. 

“Unfortunately, this has resulted in delays for people seeking scheduled intake appointments at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI).  

“We are currently actively recruiting a consultant psychiatrist and awaiting final immigration approval for the current resident vacancy.”

The spokesman said filling the positions would “significantly” improve the hospital’s ability to provide timely appointments.

“The MWI Acute Clinic has recently initiated an additional consultant clinic on Wednesday mornings in order to decrease the wait time for scheduled intake appointments.

“This clinic continues to offer an unscheduled walk-in service to address acute concerns that either current or new service users may have.

“This allows for the efficient initiation of treatment on an inpatient or outpatient basis.”

The spokesman continued: “We regret that service users may have experienced delays in obtaining scheduled intake appointments and encourage people to present for walk-in assessments, as needed, in order to facilitate prompt assessments and treatment initiation. 

“We will continue to do all we can to meet service users’ needs, as we wait for the completion of the recruitment processes currently underway.” n