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• Report highlights
• Service Rebalancing
• Governance and management
• About the HSRC

February 23, 1998, Kingston -- The Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC) today released its preliminary decisions regarding the restructuring of health services in Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Counties.

"Today's announcement will result in enhanced services for all Frontenac, Lennox and Addington residents. This is because you will have the right level of all services - both in upgraded hospitals and in the community, with everyone working together," said HSRC Commissioner Harri Jansson, a former board member and fund raiser for several hospitals across Canada.

The Commission issued preliminary decisions (Notices of Intention to Issue Directions or "Notices") and announced that there will be a response period. Interested organizations and individuals are invited to comment on the HSRC recommendations by April 2, 1998.

Report highlights

Highlights of the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington report include:

• A comprehensive health system consisting of three hospitals:
  • The HSRC has determined an interim scope of services for The Lennox and Addington County General Hospital in Napanee. It is a rural hospital under the Ministry of Health's Rural and Northern Health Care Framework. After receiving advice from the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington District Health Council, the HSRC will make a decision on its role within the framework
  • All inpatient acute care, sub-acute care, rehabilitation, adult acute mental health and related services in Kingston will be located at the Kingston General Hospital (KGH) site. This hospital will also consist of an academic ambulatory care centre to be located in an expanded building at the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital (KPH) site
  • All complex continuing care, longer-term mental health and forensic mental health services will be located at the KPH site. The forensic unit will be expanded to handle 44 new beds coming from Brockville Psychiatric
• The total capacity of the health system to 2003 will be 776 beds, including acute care, sub-acute care, mental health, rehabilitation and complex continuing care to meet the needs of the growing and aging population. This includes three child and adolescent mental health beds as part of a regional program to be located in Ottawa for residents of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington counties;
• Enhanced services for the elderly include:
  • 61 additional spaces in long-term care facilities (nursing homes and homes for the aged);
  • 569 more places in non-institutional services such as supportive housing, long-term home care, attendant care and adult day care;
• $18.8 million reinvestment annually in services:
  • $890,000 for acute home care;
  • $3.2 million for sub-acute care;
  • $13.6 million for mental health services (this includes $3 million for Whitby Psychiatric Hospital to expand services to residents of its neighbouring areas who will go there for care rather than the KPH site); and
  • $1.1 million in long-term care.
• $94.2 million for renovation and expansion projects, furniture and equipment;
• The Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) site and the St. Mary's of the Lake (SMOL) site will transfer their services to renovated facilities. The current HDH and SMOL sites will no longer be required as hospitals
• The HSRC intends to advise the Minister of Health to withdraw the license of the Institute of Psychotherapy, an 18-bed private psychiatric hospital
• Management of KPH services will be transferred to the Providence Health Care Centre (PCCC)
• $58.1 million in annual savings or 25.6 per cent based on 1995/96 net expenses of $227 million.

Service Rebalancing

"A great deal of work has already gone into restructuring and realignment in Kingston. We believe that your planning and our criteria of quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness will lead to improved health services," said Jansson.

He continued: "Another important aspect of the Kingston health services system is the development of an Integrated Academic Health System. The new academic ambulatory care centre will be built with teaching in mind as part of that system. We look forward to the strong relationship between Queen's University and Kingston hospitals leading to the best health services possible for Kingston and the areas it serves."

Governance and management

The HSRC is recommending a reorganization of health service delivery to build on the strengths of existing organizations, increase co-operation and maintain community input.

The Lennox and Addington County General Hospital will retain its separate governance. The HSRC encourages a broader integration of health and social service governance in Napanee and other parts of Lennox and Addington Counties building on the work already done by the hospital and the local home for the aged.

In Kingston, acute care, sub-acute care, rehabilitation and adult acute mental health services will be provided at the KGH site and a new academic ambulatory care centre on the KPH site. These services will be governed and managed by the KGH which will now have one-third of its members nominated by the HDH.

The Commission recognizes the more than 150 year role the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph have played in Kingston's health care system. Therefore, they will be offered the opportunity to transfer their current ambulatory care services to the new academic ambulatory care centre at the KPH site under contract from the KGH.

PCCC will govern and manage complex continuing care, longer-term mental care and forensic mental health care. These services will be provided in expanded facilities at the KPH site. The PCCC's service now provided at the SMOL of the Lake site will be transferred to the expanded KGH and the KPH site.

The Commission recommends that a Kingston Hospitals Joint Executive Committee be created with representation from the KGH and PCCC. It will allow the hospitals to co-ordinate their services, both during and following restructuring. It will also help implement the HSRC directions to achieve the planned benefits.

The HSRC intends to advise the Ministry of Health to withdraw the license of the 18-bed private hospital, the Institute of Psychotherapy. The HSRC will advise the Ministry to transfer the Institute's funding to community mental health services.

The Commission expects implementation of its directions and recommendations for Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Counties to be completed by April 2000.

About the HSRC

The HSRC is a group of individuals appointed by the Ontario government to redesign Ontario's health system. It is an independent agency of doctors, health care educators, hospital administrators, former hospital board members and other experts.

Highlights of the HSRC's work across Ontario to date include the call for:

• over $1 billion in hospital building upgrades
• over $500 million annually in new services in the areas of:
  • rehabilitation
  • mental health
  • sub-acute care
  • long-term care
  • home care
• the addition of almost 13,000 long-term care beds to the health services system
• increased capacity to treat 16 per cent more emergency and ambulatory patients at hospitals by 2003.

Contact: Paul Kilbertus (416) 327-5504

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