April 1999
The Honourable Elizabeth Witmer
Ontario Minister of Health
Dear Minister:
It is my pleasure to submit to you a report summarizing the hospital restructuring phase of the Health Services Restructuring Commission's (HSRC) mandate. We eleven volunteer commissioners carried out this work from April 1996 to March 1999. We expect the following outcomes of hospital restructuring to be in place by 2003:Urban hospitals will be consolidated into larger organizations on fewer sites, resulting in higher quality services delivered more cost-effectively, while preserving accessibility to the people served
Rural and northern hospitals will organize themselves into networks to preserve accessibility and improve cost-effectiveness and quality of care
Some patients now accommodated in hospital acute care beds will have ready access to home care, long-term care, rehabilitation, mental health and sub-acute care services that better meet their needs
The capacity of specialized services will be significantly increased, including MRIs, hip and knee replacements, cardiac surgery and radiation therapy for cancer patients
Hospital buildings will be renewed and many new community-based facilities will be created, especially long-term care facilities
We are pleased to have hospital restructuring behind us. It was necessary work and we are confident that our design for change offers a realistic, made-in-Ontario way to improve hospital and health care for the future.
Until the end of our mandate in March 2000, we will prepare advice to you on ways to achieve greater coordination among all of the many contributors to the health services system in Ontario.
DUNCAN G. SINCLAIR, Chair
Health Services Restructuring Commission