New CMO aims for Andrews Memorial to become high reliability healthcare organisation

Newly appointed Chief Medical Officer Dr Francene Gayle has been mandated to lead Andrews Memorial Hospital into becoming a high-reliability healthcare organisation (HRHO).

The move comes amid the hospital’s 80th anniversary celebrations, which get under way with a thanksgiving service on April 6 at the Andrews Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church, starting at 11 a.m.

"I am happy that Dr Gayle has joined the Andrews Memorial Hospital team in this our 80th year of service," said Donmayne Gyles, president and chief executive officer of Andrews Memorial. "She joins the team as a double board-certified neurologist and stroke neurologist with over 20 years’ experience as a medical practitioner. She also joins as an accreditation consultant with over 15 years of experience in leadership, staff coaching and training, patient safety and quality innovation” added Gyles.

The hospital’s president said this year's celebration brings moments of reflection on its contribution to the healthcare landscape in Jamaica and the region.

“As such, we are realigning our strategic focus to become a high-reliability healthcare organisation and ultimately embed international standards across all hospital processes. These best practice standards will promote patient safety and service quality excellence and are inextricably linked with our local accreditation processes."

Gayle is an honours graduate with an internal medicine background from The University of the West Indies. Her subspecialities include general neurology, electroencephalography (EEG), stroke neurology, stroke research, and medical education. She worked at The UWI from 2012 to 2016 as a consultant neurologist. Her board certifications are through the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons of the United Kingdom and the Canadian Stroke Consortium, earning the expert designation, FCSC-E. She currently serves as an adjunct assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Gayle believes that when life throws you unpredictable or even planned health events, there should be a healthcare institution that will land you safely every single time.

"That means a high quality and efficient healthcare landscape which employs five key principles," she said.

"It is important for Andrews Memorial Hospital to embark on a culture shift to embrace and embed the HRHO practices which are extracted from engineering environments such as nuclear power plants, aeronautical space, and airline industries to bring you into an environment where we promise an unrelenting focus to ensure zero harm."

The first principle is a sensitivity to operations that drill down on relevant systems and processes to ensure they are effective, efficient, and efficacious. The second is that there should be a reluctance to simplify.

"Meaning that we accept that the human body is fearfully and wonderfully made and that the healthcare landscape is complex,” explained Gayle.

“The third principle is that we are preoccupied with failure." Gayle continued, “Even if there is a near miss, we do not rejoice that the system worked. We see that the system almost failed, so it needs to be addressed."

The fourth principle is a deference to expertise. High-reliability healthcare organisations flatten the hierarchical scale.

"We value insights from frontline staff who have the most experience utilising a system or providing a service. We do not override their knowledge and experience to defer to seniority who may only manage the process and not perform it daily," Gayle said.

Gayle emphasised the need for preparation,“and so emergency planning for unlikely or unpredictable system failures is postulated and practised".

She further noted that human error has been on the rise and is, in fact, the third leading cause of death in the United States over the recent decade.

"As such, Andrews Memorial Hospital is committed to this culture change. Zero harm is our motto."

Dr Brenda Johnson, deputy director of Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Stroke Centre, recently applauded Gayle as an independent critical thinker with excellent leadership, communication, and organisational skills.

"Her exceptional communication skills, strategic mindset, and ability to inspire and motivate teams set her apart from others. She has a proven track record of fostering collaboration and delivering results… . Her dedication, integrity, and continuous learning make her an invaluable asset to any organisation," said Johnson.

Gayle is a Paul Harris Fellowship recipient by Rotary International on behalf of the Rotary Club of Hamilton for 'Service over Self'. She joins a list of distinguished Paul Harris Fellows, including Governor General Sir Patrick Allen.

Pastor Everett Brown, chairman of the board of directors of Andrews Memorial Hospital, lauded the positive direction toward being a HROH.

"We welcome Dr Gayle to the Andrews Memorial Hospital, and we value her experiences and expertise to help move AMH toward a culture change of optimal standard of care and safety. Hence, while we celebrate these 80 years of God's leading, we recognise that our nation's health is critical, and we have the awesome responsibility and privilege to contribute and collaborate for the good health of our citizens; we do not take this privilege for granted."

Andrews Memorial Hospital Limited is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica and is a full-service hospital located at 27 Hope Road in St Andrew.