"13 top ranking executives with Interior Health Authority earning over $200 thousand dollars per year" ... average salary is a quarter million dollars

Public sector salaries in government Crown Corporation and Agencies continue to rise across the province -- including within the Interior Health Authority (IHA). 

News out today shows that there are currently 13 top ranking executives with the Interior Health Authority now earning over $200 thousand dollars per year. 

The lowest is making in excess of $218 thousand dollars a year ... the highest, over $355 thousand.  These executives are making a combined total of $3.3 million dollars a year. 

While all this happen, Premier Christy Clark continues to enjoy her taxpayer funded photo-op tour of the province making announcements of 'far-in-the-future' projects that will never see the light of day. 

The Interior Health Authority, responsible for Royal Inland Hospital, has overseen the closure of a fully equiped operating theater, hundreds of beds, the reduction of front-line workers, and a never ending litany of 'emergencies' within its' own ER. 

In recent weeks, we have had ER Doctors on the record saying just how bad things are.  The emergency room, and the hospital, regularly runs at over 100% capacity. 

I have heard from one person after the other praising doctors, nurses, and other front-line staff for making a valiant effort under what has to be extremely trying conditions.   How can the staff of RIH perform their duties when the ER is continuing overcapacity, and patients have beds in hallways. 

The latest Public Sector Salary Report now shows the Interior Health Authority with a total of 26 hundred and twenty two (2,622) people in administrative roles -- that for 18,500 doctors, nurses, and other front line workers.

My job is to let people know they have a choice and an option – it's a choice I am passionate about – and it's one that I sincerely believe in

Today was another day on the campaign trail … and another chance to show why I believe the BC Conservative Party is a choice worthy of consideration by the voters of our province – especially those living right here in Kamloops South Thompson.

This afternoon I was invited to speak at the Kamloops Rotary Club Luncheon, which was held at the Hotel 420 on Victoria Street.  There were 30+ members present for lunch, and after our meal I was introduced, and then it was my turn to speak.

As I looked across the room, I recognized many of those present. They were all reputable people from the community, many of them businessmen and women, as well as lawyers, accountants, doctors, and a number of people who are now retired. All them gave me their time – and their attention.

I had a chance to speak about my family, and some of the things I have had the privilege to be a part of in our community. Then I told them why I was a BC Conservative, and why I wanted to be the next MLA for Kamloops South Thompson.

I began with a subject that has been front and center in Kamloops. It's one which has been a huge concern to many people in our community. I spoke on the Interior Health Authority – health care – and in particular our very own Royal Inland Hospital.

We are suffering from shortages of front line staff, of acute care beds, as well as needing more long term beds. I spoke of the lack of funds for building a better hospital for Kamloops, and for the many people in the outlying communities our Royal Inland Hospital serves.

I looked at comparisons between our hospital here in Kamloops --- and those in the Okanagan communities of Vernon and Kelowna; but mainly Kelowna.

I let people know a fact many are NOT aware of, how the BC Liberal government has spent over $843 million on new hospital infrastructure in Kelowna and Vernon over the past 10 years, while spending less than 10% of that amount (over the same period of time) here in our community of Kamloops.

Then I spoke of our ballooning provincial debt twhich has now reached over $60 billion, and which continues to climb – and I wrapped up by sharing my belief we now have a government so consumed with power, that they have become arrogant.

I believe my talk gave the audience reason to think about a party, that perhaps they have not given serious consideration too, up until now.

I concluded that now is the time for change --- and that we as BC Conservatives are ready to prove their worth in the next election.

My job is to let people know they have a choice and an option – it's a choice I am passionate about – and it's one that I sincerely believe in.

Let's 'stay sharp' Kamloops.

I'm Peter Sharp – I'm a BC Conservative – and I BELIEVE in BC.

"Canadian Armed Forces, and Interior Health Authority, Top Heavy With Bureaucracy?"

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to speak to approximately 140 members of the BC Nurses Union in Kamloops, at a noon hour meeting, today.  The nurses came from across the Interior Health Authority (IHA), and had gathered for discussions, at the Coast Kamloops Convention Center. 

Joining me was fellow BC Conservative candidate Mike McLoughlin from Kelowna, along with Kamloops South Thompson NDP candidate Tom Friedman. No representatives of the BC Liberals were in attendance. 

I felt very comfortable speaking with the nurses.  We spoke to a variety of subjects related to medical care in BC, but especially the IHA, and what appears to be a top-heavy bureaucracy.  

One of the things I wanted to be sure they understood, is that BC Conservatives have made a firm commitment to conduct a review of all government ministries to determine if, and where, efficiencies can be found.  

When I told them that, "We need to build up front-line staff, and look to reducing, what seems to be a top heavy management system," that received a large round of applause. 

I also told them that, "As a former members of the Canadian Armed Forces, I used to think they were over managed with the number of Generals and Senior Officers they had."

"I have now found that we in BC have an organization which, in my opinion, is even worse.  That is the IHA, which has a ratio of one person in administration / management, for every 6.3 front-line, or support employee, providing services."

BC Conservatives definately stand for common sense governmentr.  Health Care, Education, and Social Services will be the top 3 priorities of a BC Conservative Party led government. 

But to do that, ongoing deficits, and ever increasing debt, must end.

Let's 'stay sharp' Kamloops.

I'm Peter Sharp -- I'm a BC Conservative -- and I BELIEVE in BC.

That's sucking money away from the front lines and we don't think it's right

One of our BC Conservative candidates had the following question asked of him by someone in the nursing field.  

QUESTION:
What is the BC conservatives stand on the issues the BC Nurses Union faces in the province, and in general what is their stand on unions. I am little concerned about the potential for union busting as a means to cut wages so that corporations can save money. Given I am a female in a predominately female profession if it weren't for the union I do not think I would be making the wage I am able to make now. 

RESPONSE:
As John Cummins pointed out at the budget unveiling, we're not interested in creating labour strife.

We're more interested in the fact that block funding has created a bureaucratic nightmare. In Interior Health alone there are over 2500 directors and managers. There's a manager of this and a director of that and an overseer of some sort for pretty much everything (recalling Monty Python's Minister of Silly Walks). The support structures build around that top-heavy bureaucracy are groaning with overstaffing. Almost half of them make over $100,000, in a geographical area in which the median income is around one third of that.

That's sucking money away from the front lines and we don't think it's right. That's where we're interested in streamlining. There are other associated problems with management that we're going to be looking into as well.  It is not the frontlines we're interested in ... that actually has to be strengthened.  

Now I actually did some research on staffing, with the Interior Health Authority, and here is what I found. There is a 9 person Senior Executive team which is responsible for day-to-day operations and management  ... plus a member Board of Directors ... plus 2,500 Directors and Manager.  

Total administration and management = 2,518 ... and that is for approximately 18,500 employees / staff. 

I'm not saying the answer is "No", however do we really need to have one management / administration person for every 6.3 employees? 

Salaries, of course, take up a huge bite from the health care budget -- including management.  It's difficult to find information, however in a story from the Kamloops Daily News, in January of last year, it noted the following:

Top staff at IHA (all figures exclude pension amounts)

• Chief Executive Director ... in 2010/11, his new position boosted his pay to $346,014, up 18 per cent from his old pay rate.

Can things really be much different here in Kamloops with the Interior Health Authority? I would think not.

PLEASE NOTE ... this is a commentary I had originally posted in the Conservative Thoughts blog on Monday February 25th, 2013

I came across a story today that should give at least a few British Columbian's, many of whom are desperately looking to find a family Doctor, a bit of hope.

The news story indicated that BC has recruited a record number of doctors in 2012.  I am pleased to see this, but also find it a shame however; that we can't work harder to find ways to train more of our own BC young people.

Just the other day, in a government release, the BC Liberals also informed us that:

The government of British Columbia and the BC Medical Association are partnering to improve primary care services and ensure all B.C. citizens who want a family doctor are able to access one by 2015. 

Here are the first two features they called attention to:
1) Funding to enable family physicians to consult with patients by telephone

2) Incentives for physicians to take more patients with complex conditions, such as cancer, onto their caseloads.

Now I don't know about you, but I'm not so sure that we want to have doctors diagnosing patient medical concerns by telephone -- something tells me we could be opening ourselves up for some kind of multi-million dollar lawsuit if a serious misdiagnosis were to occur.

And ... if doctors are already carrying more parents than they wish to have, which is greatly increasing their stress and burn-out level, what kind of 'incentives' can we possibly provide that would have them take more patients on?

I have to say that everything I see, read, and hear, tells me that the whole system appears to be getting worse, and not better.

And it's not just doctors and others in the healthcare system saying the problem is confined to too-high patient loads, and not enough family doctors to go round.  Spending is being badly misdirected as well.

Some Doctors involved in direct medical care in BC are saying; "Hundreds of millions of tax dollars are being wasted every year on inefficiencies ... " 

In this same story we read:

Mike McLoughlin, a Kelowna businessman whose wife is a family doctor at a walk-in clinic, said patients often needlessly repeat medical tests when they're referred to a local hospital. 

"The information sharing is so poor that patients undergo the same tests twice," said McLoughlin, who's running in the May election for the BC Conservatives after getting fed up watching waste in the system. 

The story "Wasted Tax Dollars: B.C. health spending under fire", by Michael Smyth, informs us that:  

... in the Fraser Health Authority alone, the number of non-union staff making over $150,000 a year has increased 22 per cent since the 2009 election.

... and those making between $125,000 and $150,000 is up 35 per cent, and those making between $100,000 and $125,000 is up 39 per cent.

Can things really be much different here in Kamloops with the Interior Health Authority?  I would think not -- and it IS NOT.