Integrated Health Service Plan 2010 - 2013
"Working Together to Achieve Better Health, Better Care, Better Value"
The North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) is pleased to share with you our Integrated Health Service Plan (IHSP), which was approved by the LHIN Board on November 23, 2009. The IHSP outlines the health system strategic priorities, the goals to achieve an integrated health system and how success will be measured.
The Plan supports the Ministry’s priorities to improve access to care and to promote equitable access to health and health care for all Ontarians. North Simcoe Muskoka’s Integrated Health Service Plan which is based on local population health needs, health system trends, and stakeholder input, focuses on three strategic priorities.
- Improving access to appropriate care, beginning with the emergency room and alternate level of care settings in the community or home
- Improving chronic disease management, beginning with access to integrated diabetes care
- Creating an integrated design for the future health system in North Simcoe Muskoka
The Integrated Health Service Plan represents the foundation of how we will work together with our health system partners to improve the patient experience, population health and sustainability of our health system over the next three years – Working Together North Simcoe Muskoka can achieve Better Health, Better Care, Better Value.
Please click the picture above which will take you to a copy of the Plan.
Sincerely,
Ruben Rosen, Board Chair and
Bernie Blais, Chief Executive Officer
IHSP Supporting Technical Documents
What is the Integrated Health Service Plan?
The Integrated Health Service Plan or IHSP is the LHIN’s three-year strategic plan that aligns with provincial Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care strategic directions. The IHSP describes the future vision, priorities for action, strategies to achieve and the proposed outcomes for a fully integrated health system in North Simcoe Muskoka.
What was identified in the 2007-2010 Integrated Health Service Plan?
In 2006, the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (NSM LHIN) collected feedback from the public, patients, clients and health-care providers to establish the LHIN’s initial priorities. The result was the Integrated Health Service Plan 2007-2010 - Imagine a Better Health Care System: A Plan to Make it Real! 2010 is fast approaching. As we begin developing our 2010-2013 IHSP, the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN will continue to work towards the vision of an integrated health system, building on the initiatives and readiness achieved during our first IHSP.
What are the current priorities of the NSM LHIN?
Our first IHSP was developed following an in-depth environmental scan and community engagement process that identified specific needs and priorities for our residents. This led to three overarching priorities for improving the health care system in North Simcoe Muskoka:
- Improve the health of residents;
- Provide the right care, in the right place, at the right time;
- Use our resources wisely.
Over the past three years, the NSM LHIN has been actively working on projects and initiatives to carry out these priorities and their related goals, which will continue to lay the foundation for the second IHSP.
Have these priorities changed?
We know that many things have changed since April 1, 2007:
- We are in the midst of a world-wide recession that is having an impact on every aspect of society, including government-funded programs and services;
- There are more alternate level of care patients in our hospital acute care beds awaiting placement in long-term care homes, supportive housing or going back home with community supports in place, and;
- The NSM LHIN has a much clearer picture of the health profile of people living in our region; notably that we have a higher than provincial average number of elderly people, our residents make more visits to the emergency departments than the provincial average, and our communities are home to more people living with chronic diseases.
The current provincial priorities are reflective of the health care status of our region. They include:
- Emergency Rooms (ER) - Improving people’s access to hospital emergency rooms by reducing the amount of time a patient spends waiting for care.
- Alternate Level of Care (ALC) - Improving people’s access to hospital care by reducing the amount of time an alternate level of care patient spends in a hospital acute care bed.
- Chronic Disease (Diabetes) - Improving the health of residents with chronic disease, such as diabetes, by accessing appropriate care.
Learning from local residents about their experiences with the local health care system, has help inform the development of our strategies in addressing provincial priorities and shaping local ones. We engaged people on how we could best put these priorities into action, being consistent with the funding the LHIN receives and the programs and services available to people living in North Simcoe Muskoka.
What exactly do you mean by Community Engagement?
The IHSP 2010-2013 involved discussions and engagements with the people and organizations of our region so we could be sure the final document was a true reflection of the health care needs of people living in North Simcoe Muskoka. By engaging the community through our website, formal and informal meetings with the public, community leaders and health service providers as well as various other opportunities, we believe we achieved a better health service plan in the end. The objective of the IHSP was to be consistent with the provincial priorities and reflect what the local community needs and wants for its health care system.
When does the IHSP 2010-2013 begin implementation?
April 1, 2010