CancerCare Manitoba responds to concerns about workloads, burnout, workplace culture in letter

CancerCare Manitoba's board has issued a letter in response to concerns raised over a week ago regarding excessive workloads, burnout, wait lists and dissatisfaction with the workplace culture. 

Jeoffrey Chipman, chair of CancerCare Manitoba's board, sent a letter sent to staff, doctors and researchers at the cancer agency on Friday that addressed concerns, including that staff shortages, new health-care technologies and complex treatments, have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"As a board, we take our responsibility and these issues seriously, recognizing the impacts they may have on all those who work at CCMB and patient care," Chipman said in a letter obtained by CBC on Wednesday. 

"The board recognizes there are workload challenges here at CancerCare Manitoba; we also know you have been heroic in delivering excellent patient care despite those challenges." 

Chipman said health systems are under stress throughout Manitoba and Canada, but the CancerCare board has confidence in its efforts to improve working conditions at CancerCare Manitoba in Winnipeg.

Doctors Manitoba, a physician advocacy group, said they were contacted by a number of doctors with serious concerns. The support and advocacy organization sent a letter to all members who provide medical services at CancerCare Manitoba on Sept. 20.

A spokesperson for Doctors Manitoba previously told CBC the letter was intended to better understand the workplace issues and how widespread they are. 

Doctors Manitoba director Ian Foster and medical lead for physician health and wellness Dr. Shelley Anderson both signed the letter, which referenced concerns around increasing and excessive workload demands due to an inability to retain physicians and a rise in the complexity of patient needs. 

The letter said issues reported to the organization included a lack of engagement and communication from CancerCare, a lack of trust and a fear of reprisal from leadership for raising concerns, a poor working environment and individual contracts including recognition and remuneration for extra work.

It's not uncommon for Doctors Manitoba to send letters out broadly to members when it receives a concerning number of complaints, a spokesperson said last week. 

Chipman said the board recognizes long-term and sustainable solutions take time, and the recruitment and retention of doctors is an ongoing "rigorous" process.

CancerCare Manitoba will continue to address workload issues for its employees, especially front-line staff, he said. 

In response to the letter, a Doctors Manitoba spokesperson said the advocacy group appreciates the board's acknowledgment of the concerns.

"We are open and willing to provide any insight we can to support improvements for the physicians and staff and the patients they serve," the spokepserson said in a statement.

Last week, CancerCare CEO Sri Navaratnam said the agency has lost 16 oncologists over the past five years in all departments — medical oncologists, hematologists, radiation oncologists and pediatric oncologists. In that same time, 19 have been hired, including six this year alone, she said. 

The agency was interviewing for another medical oncologist last week and has planned interviews for a radiation oncologist this week and a hematologist next week, Navaratnam previously said.