Clerical staff protests after new patient info system leads to PRHC layoffs

Dozens of clerical staff at Peterborough Regional Health Centre protested today over what they call premature layoffs.

The layoffs were announced after a new patient information system, named Epic, was announced by the hospital earlier today.

President of OPSEU Local 345 Marion Burton says there seems to be a disconnect between senior management and staff.

In total, 84 clerical staff were given layoff notices. Burton says many of the clerks are taking the layoffs personally after a long stretch in the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In total, Burton says PRHC had about 240 clerical staff before the layoffs. She says the relationship between frontline workers and administration staff has also been strained because of these cuts, which she says will affect lots of staff at the hospital.

Burton says as of now, PRHC is the only location that’s given layoff notices, and that other hospitals that have already implemented it saw little to no staff reduction as a result. She says the layoffs don’t make much sense to her, leaving more questions than answers.

Chief of Staff and Chief Medical Executive at PRHC Dr. Lynn Mikula says the implementation of a new clinical information system is one of the most important transformations a hospital can make, and that it’s been nearly a decade in the making at PRHC.

The new Epic software will go live at Campbellford Memorial Hospital, Haliburton Highlands Health Services, Lakeridge Health, Northumberland Hills Hospital, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Ross Memorial Hospital, and Scarborough Health Network on December 3rd. It’s already been adopted by hundreds hospitals in North America and Europe, including the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, The Ottawa Hospital and SickKids in Toronto.