Psychiatrists have withdrawn their services from Whitehorse General Hospital until safety measures are improved in the secure medical unit.

A psychiatrist was “brutally assaulted” by a patient last week, according to a letter signed by four psychiatrists.

The letter says they had pleaded for heightened security the day before the assault in anticipation of violence from the patient.

They were told the Yukon Hospital Corp. couldn’t fund it.

The assault is the most recent – and severe – of several unsafe incidents in the hospital’s secure medical unit, according to the psychiatrists.

The letter says the unit is an unsafely designed environment. It lacks adequate mental health programming, security or code white training (code white training responds to violent mental health patients).

“We’ve endured numerous ‘near misses’ due to the pressure to provide inpatient psychiatry at a hospital that is ill-equipped to do so,” the letter says.

“For many patients … the inadequate environment itself forces us to keep patients in seclusion for unethical periods of time as the only ‘safe option,’ which at best is a human rights violation, and at worse incites aggression and violence as observed in this incident.”

Psychiatric services were implemented at the hospital last January. 

“We signed on at the hospital and accepted the risks of working temporarily on the (secure medical unit) in good faith that a safer unit was in the future,” the letter says.

One psychiatrist was told during their interview that construction of the new unit was set to begin in October.

The letter outlines three immediate actions required before the psychiatrists will resume service at the hospital.

First, improved ability to immediately medevac patients requiring psychiatric ICU placement in B.C. 

Second, a minimum of four security guards present per shift who are trained in code white interventions. There is currently one building security guard present, if that, the letter says.

“Several of our violent patients have bypassed at least three RCMP officers or corrections officers at a time,” the letter says.

Third, the psychiatrists are asking for code white training for all hospital staff – though it concedes that some training is set to begin this week.

“This should be mandatory and done annually, and yet somehow has not been done for the last 14 years,” the letter says.

“This is truly terrifying.” 

Chris Huestis, a hospital corporation spokesperson, said last week’s incident was due to a patient’s needs exceeding the hospital’s capacity for care.

“(The hospital’s) secure medical unit is not designed to support mental health patients who need a higher level of care,” Huestis told the Star this morning.

“The secure medical unit provides stabilization and observation until transfer to a more appropriate mental health care facility.”

In this case, space at a more appropriate facility wasn’t available, Huestis said. He added that additional security coverage was put in place.

Mental health services are still available at the hospital in the psychiatrists’ absence and will be provided by physicians, according to Huestis. Psychiatric consultation will be available using B.C.-based services.

Yukon Party MLA Stacey Hassard called on the health minister to address the psychiatrists’ resignation Tuesday.

“That’s very concerning … that they felt their workspace was unsafe,” Hassard said.

He said that hospital corporation is waiting on the Yukon government to provide funding for the new unit.

“Unfortunately, the government hasn’t done that, and now we see psychiatrists pulling out of the Whitehorse General Hospital, and obviously that’s not a good situation for Yukoners at all.”

Pauline Frost, the minister of Health, said money and space in the hospital have been allocated toward a new unit.

A sum of $1 million has been budgeted for planning this year, with construction to begin in 2022, according to the minister.

In the meantime, Frost said, her department is working with the hospital corporation and psychiatrists to review the situation.

“Certainly, incidents of this nature is (sic) problematic; right,” Frost said.

“We want to make sure that the hospital is equipped to provide supports transparently and safely.”

The letter from the physicians called their decision to withdraw services “heartbreaking,” but feared acting otherwise would enable the unsafe unit to continue.

“We are passionate about reforming psychiatry in the Yukon and have no intention of giving up on WGH (the hospital),” the letter says.

“It is no less devastating that this fight for bettering mental healthcare means rescinding our inpatient coverage indefinitely.”