September 19, 1997, Toronto - The Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC) today announced an expedited review process for restructuring health services in Brockville. The review is part of a province-wide initiative to preserve and enhance Ontario's health system so that people receive services where and when they need them.

The Commission has developed a vision of health services that redefines the relationships among all health service providers with a view to making the system more accountable, responsive and focused on improving the health of the population. Hospital restructuring is the first step in this process and will lay the foundation for a truly integrated health system in the province.

An integrated health system means that health providers - such as nurses, doctors, hospitals, and community agencies to name a few - will work together to give people the best available health care. An integrated health system will provide seamless, customer-focused health services, and will encourage health promotion and ways to improve everyone's overall health.

"Our goal is to achieve the best possible publicly-funded health system for the people of Ontario," said lead Commissioner Harri Jansson, who along with Associate Commissioner Dr. Rob Williams, will spearhead the expedited review process. "Our work in Brockville will improve the local health system so the people of this region are served better."

The Commission agreed to undertake an expedited review in Brockville because there was substantial agreement among the stakeholders about the restructuring options developed locally following an extensive consultation process. As well, the results of the local planning process are consistent with the best practices in hospital and health restructuring, and the recommendations are consistent with those that would likely have been developed if the HSRC methodology were used.

The HSRC process from start to finish has taken 19 or more weeks to complete in the communities the Commission has issued directions to date. If no closures or amalgamations are involved, the expedited process is estimated to take nine weeks to complete (five weeks to Notices or preliminary recommendations).

"Since this is a new approach for the Commission, we are considering the Brockville review as a pilot project. If it works well, the same approach may be considered in other communities where these conditions exist," said Mr. Jansson.

"It's important to realize that the number of steps will be fewer but the same criteria of quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness, and the same methodologies and benchmarks will apply in the expedited review," he added.

The standard HSRC process consists of the following steps:

• announcement of review and call for submissions;
  
• site visits by lead Commissioners, as necessary;
  
• analysis of DHC report and application of HSRC review methodology;
  
• development of options and decision(s) regarding preferred option in accordance with the assessment criteria of quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness;
  
• reports and notices issued to hospitals and community with 30-day response period;
  
• assessment of responses to notices and development of final report and directions; and
  
• directions issued to hospitals and community.

• there is no publication of a request for submissions following the announcement that work will begin in a community;
  
• there are no site visits by the lead Commissioners;
  
• there may be a third party consultant assigned to the project to complete the report and notices; and
  
• the response period following issue of Notices should be 14 days unless there is recommendation for closure or amalgamation (which would require a 30-day response period as per the provisions of the Public Hospitals Act).

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