Interior Health pausing most neurological consults due to shortage

B.C.’s Interior Health Authority has quietly implemented big changes for patients needing to see a neurologist due to a shortage of specialists.

To ensure there are enough neurologists to provide care for the most critical and time-sensitive cases, like stroke patients, the health authority is having to pause in-person access to general neurology consults.

1130 NewsRadio obtained a memo that was originally sent on Dec. 31, announcing the changes, which came into effect on New Year’s Day.

Dr. Rob Carruthers with Consultant Specialists of BC says it’s extremely concerning news.

“As a neurologist myself, if it were a family member of mine that was in the hospital with significant seizures or meningitis, I would really want a neurologist to see my loved one there,” said Carruthers.

He says it’s the best his group can do to give all B.C. neurologists the opportunity to support people in the health region until a broader access solution is found.

The shortage, Carruthers explains, is worsened by the volume of stroke health care demand in the region.

“To keep the stroke service open, it has forced the closure of the general neurology program,” he explained.

The memo says that in bigger hospitals, like Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) and Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops (RIHK), other specialists will step in to help with neurological consults if nobody is available.

In rural facilities, emergency physicians will need to join a call with a virtual team based in Vancouver; If members of the call determine that a patient needs a higher level of neurological care, they’ll need to be transferred to another hospital.

Carruthers says he’s confident that the decision to pause the general neurology service will be “revisited in the coming months.”

He says leadership heard a pitch for the idea of a ‘regional pool’ of specialists who could be called to hospitals as needed, rather than being stationed at one single hospital, but Interior Health managers rejected that proposal.

“For my colleagues who I know are working their very hardest trying to keep essential services available for British Columbians, it is disheartening to hear that they feel that they haven’t been heard by the health authority.”

Interior Health assures patients will not notice change

In an interview with 1130 NewsRadio, Interior Health’s executive medical director, Dr. Hussam M. Azzam, says that the health authority is confident its stroke care program will go on without any disruptions.

“And that’s one of the reasons why we actually made the change to make sure that the stroke service and Interior Health continue uninterrupted,” Azzam said.

Azzam said that the change shouldn’t affect the patient experience — making more of an impact on physician workflow.

He said it will require ER physicians in rural communities to speak virtually with their colleagues in Vancouver rather than in Kelowna in cases they need neurological advice from an expert.

“Physicians who are working in rural communities will still receive appropriate advice from a neurologist or a subspecialist. However, rather than this happening through KGH, it will most probably be through the RTVS, which is a B.C. program that stands for Real-Time Virtual Support. They have multiple programs that are able and willing to support rural physicians in smaller regional hospitals as well,” Azzam said.

“So, in summary, patients should not notice any change or difference.”

Azzam noted that Interior Health has been dealing with shortages like this for nearly 10 years, but said that’s a problem visible in other jurisdictions too.

Azzam says that Interior Health currently employs 11 neurologists, but that it needs to double that number.

“We need at least double that number in order to maintain services with Interior Health,” he said.

“Recruitments are really active. In 2024, we have managed to hire two neurologists. We have six neurologists in different stages of recruitment at the moment.”