Retiring doctor blasts succession plan for seniors clinic

A local doctor placed an advertisement in a newspaper criticizing what he calls the closure of a seniors’ health clinic that Alberta Health Services says isn’t actually closing.

Dr. Douglas Duke, a physician who runs the seniors’ clinic at Northeast Community Health Centre, placed a notice in the Edmonton Journal on Friday that said the clinic will “cease operations” as of March 29, after he goes into retirement.

“The decision is poorly informed and is counterproductive to the ongoing provision of care to seniors with complex health care needs,” the ad reads.

But Alberta Health Services spokesperson Kerry Williamson said Saturday the clinic isn’t actually closing, but that its future use is being reviewed. Recruitment for a replacement geriatrician and nurse practitioner will begin shortly, Williamson said.

“With the impending retirement of Dr. Duke and a nurse practitioner, AHS is taking the opportunity to review the model of care for the clinic to ensure it best meets the needs of patients, and the community,” Williamson said in an email.

Duke said he’s aware of the plan to hire replacements, but he’s unhappy there will be no “smooth transition.”

“Our clinic was there for 18 years, and there will be no clinic there as of March 29,” Duke said Sunday. “If they do get someone new, it’ll be starting the clinic up all over again from the ground.”

The doctor said that some of his patients — generally frail, elderly people who need extensive care — were upset upon hearing the news. Williamson said that all patients will be connected to a caregiver through the centre’s family clinic, and that the plan is to engage the patients in the evaluation of the clinic’s service model.

Duke said he’s worried the plan for the future isn’t as good as it could be, and said he feels health care management is “distanced and detached” from the process of health care delivery for the elderly.

“My concern is that it’s reflective of the way seniors health care is looked at in Edmonton. There doesn’t seem to be a cohesive plan,” he said.

In his email, Williamson said AHS wanted to acknowledge the excellent care provided over the years by Duke and the clinic’s nurse practitioner.