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As we look back on the
recent holiday season, it’s clear the last few months have been an
extremely busy time for all of us in health care. At times like this it
can be difficult to remember the progress we’ve made over the past
year.
Last year we worked hard and it paid off. In many areas, we have
improved access, reduced wait times and become more adept at
supporting our clients outside the walls of the hospital in support
of our stated philosophy that, in most cases, “Home is Best”. Along the way we
attracted some great new leaders to complement our existing team,
strengthened partnerships, and started living the health authority’s
People First philosophy.
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Looking back on 2011: Building on
our successes in patient, client and resident care
Submitted by Mary Ackenhusen, chief operating officer, VCH Vancouver
We have also made great strides
in becoming “one” Vancouver. I see people and initiatives flowing more
easily across the Acute and Community boundaries which makes us more
focused and effective – and our patients, clients and residents are
reaping the rewards.
For me, these are some of the
highlights of the past year. In every case, I appreciate the many people
involved and the time and expertise they have invested to bring about
positive change.
OUR PEOPLE
We have welcomed some new faces
to the leadership team which has brought energy and new ideas to
complement the rich experience of our team:
·
Dr. Rolando Barrios,
senior medical director for community
·
Joanne Bezzubetz,
executive director for community services
·
Laura Case,
director inpatient psychiatry and the Burnaby Centre
·
Dr. David Hall,
medical director urban primary care
·
Lorna Howes,
director housing, is now dedicated full-time to improving the way we provide
housing both in mental health and to those with special needs
·
Janice Lochbaum,
special projects director, community
·
Doug Longstaffe,
leader, spiritual care services for Vancouver
·
Andrew MacFarlane,
community director
·
Dr. Bas Masri,
surgeon-in-chief at VGH
·
Dr. Grady Meneilly,
physician-in-chief at VGH
·
Alyssa Polinsky
and Jennifer Hamilton, communication leads
·
Travis Roderick,
senior director, surgical services
·
Cori Ross,
director, ambulatory care
·
Dr. Jay Slater,
home health medical director
·
Jennifer Vornbrock,
director, Lean and strategy
VCH conducted the first Safety
and Engagement survey to give us a baseline measurement of the engagement
of our staff and physician leaders – so that we can plan on how to
improve and get more people truly enthused about the work they do every
day.
The past year has allowed many
of us, from leaders to front-line supervisors, to become trained in LEAN
value stream maps and A3s as a foundational skill for engaging ourselves
and others in system improvements.
NEW PARTNERS
Over the past year, we have
enhanced a number of key partnerships that allow us to better provide
healthcare services.
•Collaboration with Providence
Health Care (PHC) created the Downtown Eastside Consortium and other
forums for important joint discussion on services such as primary care
and mental health and addiction.
•A partnership with the
Vancouver Division of Family Practice has improved links between acute
care and GPs, as well as access by GPs to our mental health
services.
•Creation of “Project Link”
with the Vancouver Police Department gives us a constructive way to work
on a common agenda, starting with integrated plans for high-need
individuals living in the Downtown Eastside.
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
Health care is all about change
and this year we had the chance to move beyond the change that comes with
simply trying to meet budget pressures.
We have done well on the key
indicators as measured by the VCH balanced scorecard: ED wait
times, hospital standardized mortality rates, and employee sick
time. While alternate levels of care days (ALC) were a challenge,
by the end of the year, this indicator was under control.
Proving that “better quality does not need to cost more” …financially, we
have met our budget targets while still delivering appropriate levels of
care, and in many cases more service.
We were able to launch new
programs and improve a number of existing programs and services:
•After taking on responsibility
for the Complex Concurrent Disorder (CCD) regional portfolio, including
the Burnaby Centre, we are better connecting the services supplied by
Vancouver Community to vulnerable CCD clients.
•We launched two key regional
programs: Cardiac Services and Mental Health and Addictions. This, paired
with strong work in the other regional councils, will improve access and
quality across VCH.
•The launch of the Vancouver
Acute Quality Council has been an exciting forum for highlighting
excellence as it happens at the front lines.
•The VGH emergency department
launched a Diagnostic Treatment Unit to better manage short stay patients
who would otherwise require admission to a hospital ward.
•The addition of iCARE rounding
has led to outstanding results in the inpatient psychiatry units, with
more patients accessing our services than ever before.
•Mental health care was further
improved with the opening of 73 tertiary mental health beds at PHC and
UBC Hospital, with 100 more to come this year (2012).
•Increased collaboration between
acute and community, paired with a focus on patients whose hospital stays
are over 30 days (long length of stay patients), led to outstanding and
creative solutions for some of our most complex patients.
•With our partners in
Facilities Planning, we're continuing to develop the Residential Care
Rejuvenation Plan to upgrade our facilities to be more home-like and meet
current resident needs.
•In September, we welcomed the
ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada that confirmed the legality of the
Supervised Injection Site allowing it to remain open.
NEW FUNDING
Funding from the Provincial
Health Services Purchasing Organization (HSPO) supported our philosophy
of Home is Best and led to an expansion of Home ViVE Plus to help our most frail seniors
remain safely at home.
The HSPO has also allowed the
focused application of best practice protocols for our patients with
chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), supported an ED project to
reduce adverse drug events, provided for the regional expansion of Acute
Home Based Treatment for people experiencing a mental health crisis, and
the launch of a surgical quality data base.
We also created
substantial “new funding” for ourselves in the Community by
reallocating some of our home support resources from those who no longer
qualify for home support, to those who need our care at home. This is
helping more people remain safely at home.
We are now orienting our
services, our decisions and our use of resources to the aim of keeping
people at home for their care, wherever possible. Our Home is Best philosophy is a recognition
that most people, including frail elderly, actually prefer to stay safely
at home.
Our progress and performance is
the result of the work that you do everyday. The Vancouver leadership
team is thankful for what you do and would also like to thank you on
behalf of all the folks that you serve.
I look forward to the work
underway in this coming year – and thank you for your continued energy,
expertise and commitment.
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