SUDBURY, Ont., Sept. 30 - The Health Services Restructuring Commission today released its report and recommendations on restructuring hospital services in Sudbury.
The recommendations are contained in Notices of Intention to Issue Directions, which the Commission has issued to local hospitals, the Manitoulin and Sudbury District Health Council and the Minister of Health. Local organizations and individuals will have 30 days to send in written comments. After considering new information received during this period, the Commission will issue its directions to hospitals and recommendations to the Minister of Health.
The restructuring plan calls for Laurentian Hospital, Memorial Hospital and Sudbury General Hospital to create, by March 31, 1997, a new Sudbury Regional Hospital Corporation. By March 31, 1999, all hospital services will be provided on the Ramsey (Laurentian) site. The Paris (Sudbury General) and Regent (Sudbury Memorial) sites will be closed by March 31, 1999.
"Integrating hospital administration and services on one site will improve Sudbury residents' access to high-quality health services," said Dr. Maureen Law, lead commissioner for Sudbury.
"In order to accomplish this there must be significant reinvestment in home care, chronic care, rehabilitation services and adult mental health care, as well as in transitional, or sub-acute care. Furthermore, we are recommending capital investment of up to $72.7 million, plus $8 million for equipment."
Integration will also result in significant savings in administration and overhead costs. These are savings that can be reinvested in meeting community needs, such as repatriating hospital services to the Sudbury district, and in other health care areas.
The Sudbury Regional Hospital Corporation will be a new governance structure representative of the unique characteristics of the population of Sudbury and Northeastern Ontario. It will respect the linguistic, religious and cultural diversity of the residents it serves.
The Commission has advised the Minister to provide an additional $2 million for repatriation of neonatal and hip and knee surgery patients who currently go to southern centres for services.
It has also advised the Minister of Health to establish a pool of $3.3 million, outside OHIP funding, to be used to recruit additional specialists to the Sudbury area.
"This will enhance Sudbury's ability to recruit and retain the specialists it needs," said Dr. Law.
The Commission recommends that a steering committee be established to develop a regional mental health plan for Northeastern Ontario. It will have representation from district health councils, hospitals, including Algoma Hospital, area agencies and community representatives. The plan, to be submitted by March 31, 1997, will identify the number of beds, supportive housing and community mental health services needed in the community.
"Our decisions were predicated on the blueprint provided by the Sudbury District Health Council and on constructive input from the community," said Dr. Law. "We were very pleased with the breadth and depth of representations from all interested parties in Sudbury. Their insight guided us in our deliberations.
"It was also clear that Sudbury had already made significant progress in developing a streamlined and restructured health system."
The Commission is recommending that the Ministry of Health invest $2.8 to $3.2 million in transitional care, a new service for patients who are between acute and home care. It also recommends increased funding for community services, such as home care ($1.2 million), that will face new demands as a result of changes to the hospital system. As well, it has recommended $1 million for magnetic resonance imaging technology.
The Commission has asked affected hospitals to work with organizations and other employees to develop a labour adjustment plan by March 31, 1997.
Dr. Law said that in order to create an effective and responsive health care system in the province, all components of the system must be part of the restructuring process.
The Health Services Restructuring Commission is an arms-length agency of the Ontario government, with a four-year mandate to review the provision of health services in the province. It has been charged with restructuring hospital systems and advising the Ministry of Health on reinvesting in and restructuring health services to improve quality and outcomes.
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