Kelowna Pediatric Care Independent Review

Pediatric services at KGH are stable. Full services returned in August 2025. Successful recruiting, additional support staff and closer collaboration with physicians have strengthened pediatric services. While our health‑care system continues to face pressures, the steps we’ve taken have significantly reduced the risk of future disruptions.  

Related stories: 

• New child life specialist enhances pediatric care at KGH 
• Pediatrician Dr. Avi Kopstick returns to Canada with care in mind 
• Dr. Jeff Wong leads Kelowna Pediatric Department forward 

While this review was prompted by challenges in pediatric services at KGH, we will apply the recommendations across IH.  
 
Many of the issues identified—such as medical staff governance, communication, service planning and workforce sustainability—are organizational and system‑level challenges. We’re applying the recommendations to strengthen how we support healthy work environments and sustainable health-care services across IH programs, sites and communities, not just KGH pediatrics.

Retention of talent is a high priority for us, alongside recruitment and effective workforce planning. Our approach to retention is focused on supporting physicians as partners, improving working relationships, and building systems that allow them to practise safely, sustainably and with confidence over the long term. 

We are advancing several initiatives to support this goal, including improving two‑way communication, clarifying roles and decision‑making pathways, developing a dedicated program to support medical staff health, safety and wellness, and support the negotiation of competitive and flexible compensation models. 

Engagement is also crucial to retention. We are actively engaging physicians by funding leadership development opportunities, and collaborating on health system redesign and quality improvement initiatives, so that physicians have a meaningful voice in shaping the system they work in. 

While we have made important progress, we know there’s more to do. Physician retention requires ongoing attention, listening and action, and we remain committed to continuing this work in partnership with physicians across the organization. 

IH is in the initial stages of planning to expand maternity and neonatal services in the Interior region, which will enable families and babies to receive care closer to home, reducing the need for out-of-region transfer and supporting growing demand. Given the scale and complexity, it would be a multi-year plan.

Within the 30 recommendations, some were identified as outside of our scope of responsibilities, not feasible at this time, or requiring further consideration.   

Four of the seven rejected recommendations (1.2, 1.4, 1.10 and HW3) relate to medical advisory committees that are controlled by medical staff rules and bylaws, not by IH management. These recommendations will be provided for consideration as part of an upcoming review of medical advisory committee structures. 

Recommendation 2.2 calls on IH to explore appointing co-directors or alternating directors for our Maternal, Newborn, Child and Youth (MNCY) program. The existing structure already supports shared accountability, with IH and physician leadership jointly oversee the renewed MNCY program. It also has representation from KGH, Royal Inland Hospital and rural sites. 

Recommendation 3.4 suggests IH use KGH Foundation funding to expedite visits for employment candidates to IH sites. Arrangements are already in place to use Foundation funding to support site visits, and IH is committed to collaboration with Foundations, municipalities and other community partners to support recruitment. 

Recommendation 3.6 calls for the Senior Executive Team (SET) to monitor contract and payment timing benchmarks for physicians. The review raised concerns about payment processing associated with the fee-for-service income guarantee. This is no longer in place following the introduction of an alternative payment contract.