There is much effort and attention being focused on April 1 when Ontario’s 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) take on the role of planning, funding and integrating local health services. There will be new communication protocols, relationships and interfaces between the ministry, the LHINs and health service providers.

But how are the new relationships going to be managed?

A significant part will be played by the ministry’s new LHIN Liaison Branch, under the guidance of its new director, Carrie Hayward. As the primary point of contact for the LHINs and provincial programs, the branch will work closely with ministry agencies, the LHINs and health service providers.

Over the past several months, the ministry has been working to identify, design and implement the new business processes and structures that will support the ministry’s working relationships with the LHINs.

As LHINs take on their additional responsibilities, they assume new functions and processes to fulfill their mandate. The ministry also needed to change to assume its new stewardship role -- that required changes to the ministry’s organizational structure.

The LHIN Liaison Branch is one of the key new branches.

It will formalize the on-going relationship between the LHINs and the ministry. Phased in over the next few months, the branch will begin providing some services to the LHINs within weeks. Over the next few months the branch will assume more of the responsibilities of the LHIN Project Team, led by Tracey Mill, which has been supporting LHIN startup operations since last year.

The new branch’s mandate is to support the ministry’s working relationship with LHINs. The branch will see that the obligations of the Local Health System Integration Act and related legislation are met by the LHINs and the ministry through development, negotiation, and management of relationships and accountability agreements.

The LHIN Liaison Branch will be the primary contact for the LHINs that will, in turn, be responsible for relationships with local health service providers, including hospitals, home and community care, CCACs, mental health and addictions, long-term care homes, and community health centres. The branch will manage the accountability agreements with the LHINs and will support the LHINs in developing agreements with their health service providers, as required.

It will also manage the provincial and priority programs that will continue to report directly to the MOHLTC, as well as French Language Health Services and the AIDS Bureau.

Organizational charts of this and other new ministry branches are available online.

Director, Emerging Innovation Investment Strategy Branch
Sandy Nuttall has been appointed the Director of the new Emerging Innovation Investment Strategy Branch in the Health System Investment and Funding Division. Starting March 1, she will provide strategic leadership and direction in the evaluation, research, innovation and risk assessment of potential investment opportunities for the implementation of new technologies and clinical innovation. Sandy will continue to provide leadership to her former project in the Health Systems Accountability and Performance Division for an interim period until a replacement is announced.

Director, Health Program Policy and Standards Branch
Susan Paetkau has been appointed the Director of the new Health Program Policy and Standards Branch in the Health System Strategy Division. Starting March 1, she will provide direction and leadership for the development, communication and adoption of strategic policies and standards related to health care access. This includes the development of provincial policies, strategies and legislation which respond to a range of critical emerging health system issues in such areas as primary care, acute and emergency care, community and long-term care and mental health and addictions. Susan will also be active in establishing strong linkages in the development of provincial policy and standards and will lead concurrent policy project teams to inform provincial policy development related to health care access, furthering government’s agenda and the ministry’s stewardship role and its relationship with the LHINs. A transition plan and timetable will be communicated at a later date which describes when functions and units will transition from Susan’s former Branch, Drug Programs, to new areas of the ministry.

Director, Corporate Fiscal and Business Planning Branch
Michael Parzei has been appointed the Director of the Corporate Fiscal and Business Planning Branch in the Corporate and Direct Services Division. Michael will assume this position effective immediately. He has been serving as acting Director of the Fiscal Strategies Branch at the ministry. In this and his continuing role as Director, Michael is responsible for the development of the ministry’s annual Results-based Plan to secure multi-year funding allocations/approvals as well as directing the ministry on its business planning, financial reporting and budgeting, and controllership activities. Further, this role is critical to maintaining the ministry’s relationship with Management Board, Finance and other key stakeholder relationships. All units in the Fiscal Strategies Branch will move to the Corporate and Direct Services Division effective April 1. The Branch will be renamed the Corporate Fiscal and Business Planning Branch.

Director of Strategic Alignment Branch
Richard Prial has been appointed the Director of Strategic Alignment Branch in the Health System Strategy Division. Richard will start in this role effective immediately. Richard will provide strategic direction and leadership for the development, communication and adoption of strategic initiatives which ensure alignment of ministry work to the broader health system strategy. Richard will be responsible for the management of portfolios which cross health policy lines, portfolios which contribute to the overall strategic directions and provincial priorities for the health system in Ontario.

Please regularly check the ministry’s website for the latest news on the ministry’s transformation.

This update is produced by the LHIN Communications Team.
For more information call INFOline at 1-888-779-7767
8:30 am to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday

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