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Restructuring Report attached
SUDBURY, Monday, December 16, 1996 - The Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC) today issued its report and directions for restructuring hospital services in Sudbury. The Commission also released its recommendations to the Ministry of Health on reinvestment in and restructuring of other components of the area's health care system.
The directions and recommendations are based on the Manitoulin and Sudbury District Health Council restructuring report, and have been revised and refined in response to community input received after notices of intention to issue directions were delivered to the community on Sept. 30, 1996.
Under the restructuring plan, Laurentian Hospital, Memorial Hospital and Sudbury General Hospital will combine their activities and form the new Sudbury Regional Hospital Corporation. By April 30, 1999, all acute, chronic and rehabilitation services will be provided at the Laurentian Hospital's Ramsey site, which will be renovated and expanded.
The Sudbury Regional Hospital Corporation will have a new governance structure representative of the demographic, cultural, ethnic, religious, geographic and social characteristics of the residents of Sudbury and Northeastern Ontario.
"We received a number of submissions related to our recommendation on governance of the new hospital, most of which were supportive of the Commission's plan," said Dr. Maureen Law, HSRC's lead commissioner for Sudbury. "We are now directing the three hospitals to use a mediator to facilitate development of single governance and management for Sudbury's acute, chronic and rehabilitation hospital services.
"The Commission believes that local hospitals and the community are best positioned to determine a governance structure that works for them and reflects the cultural, social, religious and ethnic diversity of the Sudbury community," said Dr. Law.
"There are significant benefits to be derived from a diversity of traditions and cultures, but the priority of governance structures must be to promote development of interdependencies on which a smoothly coordinated, strategically planned, functional system can be built and maintained."
The Commission is recommending that the Ministry of Health approve a capital budget of up to $76.5 million for renovating and expanding the Ramsey site (which includes $3.5 million for repatriated cases) and up to $9 million for equipment and furnishings. This is $4.8 million above the amount recommended in the Sept. 30 report.
The redeveloped hospital will have a total area of 649,000 sq.ft. to provide all acute, chronic and rehabilitation hospital based services as well as acute mental health inpatient and outpatient services.
Sudbury General is currently designated by the Ministry of Health as one of the ten leading trauma centres in Ontario. The Commission is recommending that this designation be maintained at the redeveloped hospital. As the regional trauma centre, it will have capacity for 93,500 emergency visits annually.
Compared with the notices, the directions add four more intensive care beds, 11 new acute care beds, and 12 new mental health beds for Sudbury and Manitoulin residents, and increase the number of operating rooms to 17 from 12.
By April 30, 1999, the redeveloped hospital and Algoma Hospital will together operate 345 acute care beds, 66 adult psychiatric beds, 12 paediatric psychiatric beds, 100 chronic care beds and 31 rehabilitation beds. The Commission is also recommending that eight acute care beds and nine neonatal intensive care beds be added for repatriated cases.
The Commission recommends that the Ministry of Health provide additional funding for Sudbury community services, especially home care and related services, to help meet the additional demands that will be placed on them by changes to the hospital system.
The HSRC is recommending the following annual operating adjustments:
"The Commission believes that the directions we are issuing today will provide the basis for a high-quality health services system that is accessible to all the people of this area, and affordable," said Dr. Law. "The result of restructuring Sudbury's services will be a health system that excels in providing quality cardiovascular care, cancer services, services for high-risk infants, orthopaedic surgery and a host of other hospital-based health care services.
"Sudbury residents will benefit from more coordinated delivery of care with fewer transfers between providers and greater attention to their full health care requirements," she said. Coverage of emergency services will improve. For their part, health care practitioners and workers will enjoy the benefits of improved coordination, fewer sites and increased availability of alternative services."
The Commission calculates that restructuring Sudbury's hospital system will save approximately $40.7 million annually.
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 is charged with restructuring hospital systems and advising the Ministry of Health on reinvesting in and restructuring other health services to improve quality and outcomes.
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Media contact: Jane Stewart (416) 327-5504
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