CHEO said eight employees will be affected by the decision to end what are known as ED (emergency department) Patient Experience Lead roles as of the end of March.
CHEO has eliminated a team of “patient experience” workers whose jobs were to help make long waits in the emergency department more bearable by offering kindness, juice and support to patients and their families.
In an emailed statement, Tammy DeGiovanni, senior vice-president, clinical services and chief nurse executive, said eight employees will be affected by the decision to end what are known as ED (emergency department) Patient Experience Lead roles as of the end of March. The statement said the jobs were created to assist with pandemic challenges and were always intended to be temporary.
“The ED Patient Experience Lead role was created in 2020 to support CHEO during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the end of the pandemic and after careful consideration, CHEO made the difficult decision to eliminate the role as of March 31,” she said.
The affected employees were informed in mid-January and have been given human resources support.
“We deeply appreciate the contributions of these dedicated team members,” she said, adding that CHEO is committed to working with everyone affected “to explore potential opportunities within the organization as appropriate.”
DeGiovanni said team members served a variety of functions that were particularly necessary during the height of the pandemic and the hospital is now returning to more routine operations. The statement said CHEO still has multiple staff who interact with and support families in the emergency department, along with the clinical team.
ED Patient Experience Lead role team members were introduced to help with “pandemic-specific challenges” such as navigating testing, managing wait times and supporting families when movement within the hospital was restricted due to safety protocols, the hospital statement said.
“Those roles were always intended to be temporary.”
In 2024, CHEO posted a profile of one of the team members on its website. It described Alaa Abashar’s role on the team as “offering kindness and support to patients and their families during a stressful time.”
Among other things, she said she provided a listening ear to patients.
“Patients and families are anxiously waiting for care. They’re sick, scared and stressed. I help relieve their stress, put a smile on their faces, bring them juice or water, and make them feel heard,” she said. ”That’s what matters.”
CHEO has a separate patient experience department that supports families across the hospital, according to the statement.
CHEO, like many hospitals, has struggled with long emergency department wait times in recent years, something that came to a head late in 2022 when a severe respiratory illness surge forced the hospital call in the Red Cross for support and partner with area hospitals for extra help. CHEO has since received significant provincial funding to add beds and expand to better meet growing needs and a growing population.
Long waits for emergency care have continued to be an issue as recently as last year. Its wait times improved since then, according to the latest available snapshot from the province.
CHEO’s website provides information for families about seeking urgent and emergency care at CHEO.ca .
