Mt Hope issues dealt with

Service was curtailed yesterday with only emergency cases from the priority care facilities receiving attention. On Tuesday, general X-rays, barium tests, MRIs and CT scans came to a halt around midmorning as workers tried to force a meeting with North-Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) chief executive officer Charles Mitchell.

The NCRHA issued a release yesterday advising the public that “all emergency radiological services” were being provided as discussions took place with staff to reach a resolution to ongoing concerns. Two meetings took place in the morning and afternoon. The management team comprised ag Industrial Relations manager Angenet Venus, a human resource officer and the acting complex administrator. Representing the radiology workers were Lyndon Cowan and Dane Durham, who are members of the Public Services Association.

At the end of the meeting, workers were able to get a response on eight areas including security, shift bonus, CT allowance, arrears of meal allowance and performance appraisals. An additional security guard will be assigned to the Radiology department, this will bring security personnel to two.

This arrangement will continue until the manager of security assesses needs of the department. The NCRHA has agreed to pay a CT allowance to four additional radiographers. The arrears of meal allowance will be referred to the Human Resource Committee of the Board for determination because of the difficulty quantifying arrears. There are two different policies — the EWMSC for the hours worked and the Public Service policy for the increased meal allowance rate. Performance appraisals will be done for all staff members. Workers were assured that no radiological examinations would be performed on animals.

The issues which are outstanding relate to quality standards for doing mammography screening (workers said there are no measurements for radioactive doses which patients receive or the level of exposure to workers) and the presence of customer service representatives (CSR) and dark room technicians round-the-clock as well as weekends and public holidays. The diagnostic machines in the department (CT scan etc) are used in shifts — 7 am to 3 pm, 3 pm to 11 pm and 11 pm to 7 am. The CSRs and dark room technicians work 7 am to 3.30 pm.