Bustamante Hospital giving family caregivers a trial run

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has announced his intention to make the Family Caregivers Programme a permanent nationwide initiative, pending the success of the policy pilot launched on Monday at the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC).

“My own ambition is that it will be mainstream in a relatively short period of time,” Tufton stated.

“The pilot nature of it is to work through a few things, because it’s not that simple as it sounds … . It involves the protocols about how you interact with the patient, how you protect privacy; there are sanitary conveniences which you’ll have access to, so we have to put those basic infrastructure in place,” he added.

The policy aims to integrate designated family caregivers as essential partners in the care process through a standardised national framework. Its primary objective is to create a structured, safe, and supportive environment where selected caregivers participate in patient care, enhancing patient comfort, safety, and satisfaction.

Hailing the programme as an important milestone in BHC’s commitment to compassionate family care, Chief Executive Officer Anthony Wood said it would be first introduced as a pilot programme on the orthopaedics, general paediatrics, ENT (ear, nose and throat), ophthalmology and dental wards.

“This initiative recognises the invaluable contribution of families to the healing process, emotional well-being and overall comfort of our patients,” he said.

Tufton noted that it was borne out of a petition launched last year by a parent advocating for 24-hour visiting hours at the children’s hospital, which gathered more than 25,000 signatures.

The programme will operate from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Overnight stays are not permitted unless approved in advance. Caregivers will be permitted to leave the wards and return during these hours, and only one caregiver can be at the bedside at any given time.

The minister noted that construction of the 30-bed overnight stay facility at the hospital is completed and it should be open in about a week. He said the programme will be integrated into this facility, where the basic needs of parents will be better met.

FACILITIES IN PLACE FOR CAREGIVERS

In the meantime, arrangements have been made for caregivers to use the bathrooms.

To be selected to participate in this programme, parents must register, and can include two to three additional caregivers on the list. An orientation is also mandated, as well as signing a caregiver agreement form which outlines caregiver responsibilities and privacy rules.

The agreement bans the use of cell phones and any other devices to take photographs, videos or audio recordings of anyone in the hospital. It also outlines specific infection control protocols that must be followed.

The caregiver will be asked to provide non-clinical care and support, such as assisting with meals as directed by the healthcare team, providing comfort and emotional support, assisting with patient’s basic hygiene, moving patients around, communicating with staff, and providing updates to the wider family.

Noting that the BHC sees up to 35,000 in-patients each year who are admitted for an average of five days, Tufton said the success of the pilot will result in a more efficient application of healthcare solutions for children.

“It is impatient of debate whether it can work or not, because it works elsewhere. But we have to now culturally adopt and adjust, because it does take some disciplined application about what we should or should not do, how we collaborate and coordinate our medical staff,” he said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com