Tufton Says Staff Wellness Central to Better Healthcare at Victoria Jubilee

Health and Wellness Minister Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton says Jamaica’s health system must give serious attention to the emotional welfare and overall wellness of its workers if patient care is to improve.

He said staff members who feel encouraged and properly supported are more likely to deliver kind, attentive service and help create a better experience for patients. “It can’t be that the staff are unhappy and the clients are dissatisfied. One feeds into the next, because motivation is derived from providing the environment to motivate,” Dr. Tufton said.

The Minister made the comments on Wednesday (June 10) in Kingston during the formal opening of the Carol Picart Courtyard at Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH). He addressed the ceremony as the hospital unveiled the new space.

The courtyard was created through the Ministry’s Compassionate Care Programme as a rest and wellness area for healthcare employees. It gives workers a place to pause, recover and spend time with colleagues while they are off the wards or taking breaks.

The facility includes outdoor seating and a gazebo, along with air-conditioned indoor lounges. It was provided by the Mia’Sarka Foundation and carries the name of the foundation’s founder, Carol Picart, a Jamaican-born philanthropist.

Dr. Tufton thanked Mrs. Picart and her team, saying their contribution showed an understanding that caring for hospital staff is also part of delivering quality healthcare.

While welcoming the upgraded area, he said the space should not be treated as only a staff facility. In his view, patients and their relatives should also be able to use it when they are facing painful circumstances or marking happy milestones.

He said anyone who comes through the gates of VJH becomes connected to the hospital community and should encounter an atmosphere where they feel received and supported.

Dr. Tufton also noted that hospitals differ from many other public institutions because people often enter them carrying worry, fear and uncertainty. At Victoria Jubilee, which he described as the Caribbean’s leading maternity hospital, about 600 babies are delivered on average each month, and even those joyful occasions can bring emotional strain for mothers and families.

For that reason, he said spaces such as the Carol Picart Courtyard should not be unusual extras, but should form part of how healthcare facilities are planned and built.

The Compassionate Care Programme is aimed at improving areas in hospitals and health centres so that staff and patients can experience surroundings that are more encouraging, welcoming and supportive.