The Bermuda office of KPMG has strengthened its dedicated island healthcare advisory team based on the findings of the organisation’s 2023 Healthcare Horizons report.

Based on the report, KPMG said, island healthcare will not be immune from the need to adapt as health challenges mount globally, including health worker shortages and staff burnout exacerbated by rising demand and inequality.

Recognising the challenges, KPMG said it is strengthening its team as healthcare industries look to help navigate the journey towards more inclusive, integrated and preventive care.

The international report imagines a new horizon for healthcare, looking at how health systems risk being overwhelmed by pre-existing undercurrents and successive new waves of crisis.

Future threats identified include climate change disasters and the rapidly rising costs of next-generation treatments.

The report makes the case for a fundamental change of course in the way healthcare systems and organisations are operated over the next decade.

Bermudian-based Ed Fitzgerald, KPMG Islands Group head of healthcare and life sciences, said: “Healthcare is notoriously complex, and the unique island settings in which we work bring a magnifying glass to many of the challenges already facing healthcare globally.

“We are seeing an increasing need for support in transforming healthcare for our future generations right across the Atlantic, Caribbean and Mediterranean islands where we work. “

Dr Fitzgerald added: “We’re pleased to be growing our experienced team and combining local island knowledge with global insight and best practice to support building stronger healthcare for our island communities.”

KPMG said two new hires, Penny Barker and Charlotte Reboul, expand its team and bring additional experience in healthcare and wider public sector policy and implementation.

Ms Barker joins to help support healthcare clients across KPMG Islands Group member firms, with nearly a decade of operational management experience from Leeds Teaching Hospitals in the National Health Service.

Most recently, she led operations for the Covid-19 vaccination programme across Lancashire and South Cumbria in the UK. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in leadership and management in health and social care, both from the University of Leeds.

Ms Reboul joins from KPMG’s Montreal office, where she specialised in economic development policy advisory and sustainable finance, consulting for various levels of governments in Canada and across North America.

She holds a master’s degree in public policy and a bachelor’s degree in international development and management, both from McGill University.

KPMG said the team is also fortunate to be able to draw on expert associate support from across the global KPMG network, and recently hosted Elaine Strachan-Hall in Bermuda to help support a client’s upcoming accreditation preparation.

Ms Strachan-Hall is an experienced senior nursing leader with master’s degrees in nursing and business administration, and former chief nurse from Oxford University Hospitals.

She brings particular experience in improvement programmes including patient safety, quality management system implementation, nursing and clinical strategy, and patient and public engagement.