Hospital Improvement Plan Implementation

Niagara Health System

• Developing the Plan
  • About HIP
    • Why a HIP?
    • Questions and Answers
    • Case for Change
    • Quality Care
    • Financial Pressures
    • Factors Driving Change
    • How Can We Change?
    • NHS at a Glance
    • Better Ways of Delivering Care
  • Background
    • Key Messages
    • National Trends in Health Care
    • Niagara’s Population
      • Geographic Overview
      • Travel Maps
      • Population Projections
      • Population Characteristics
      • Income and Employment
      • Health Determinants & Practices
      • Health Status, Life Expectancy
      • Hospitalization
      • Prevalence of Chronic Conditions
      • Disease Prevalence Maps
  • FAQs
    • The Hospital Improvement Plan
    • Emergency Care in Fort Erie/Port Colborne
    • Women’s & Children’s Health
  • Vision / Plan
    • HIP Addendum – December 2008
    • HIP Addendum & Site Charts – November 2008
    • Kitts Review & Recommendations – October 2008
    • Consultation Summary Report – October 2008
    • Draft Hospital Improvement Plan – July 2008
    • Health Experts Say …
      • Centres of Excellence
      • Emergency Services
      • Women’s and Children’s Health
    • Vision Details
      • Emergency Services
      • Women’s and Children’s Health
• Implementing the HIP
  • Implementation Plan – Year 1
  • Early Opportunities
    • Surgical Program
    • Medicine Program
    • Emergency Services
    • Maternal/Child Program
    • Addictions & Mental Health
  • Site & Services – Now and by 2013
  • Planning for Changes
  • Effective Use of Patient Care Equipment
  • HIP Implementation Steering Committee
• Stakeholder Relations
  • Community Information
  • Community Advisory Forums
  • Chair’s Message to C.A.F.
  • Vice Chair’s Address
• Contact
• News
• Videos
• Contact

Implementing the HIP

The HIP is a 4-year strategic plan aimed at improving quality of patient care across all Niagara Health System sites and patient care areas. The HIP’s key aim is to create a sustainable hospital system. To achieve this, the HIP outlines a number of important changes to the way our hospital services are currently provided across all of our sites. The changes outlined in the HIP are intended to make better use of our scarce human, capital and financial resources and ensure people get the right care at the right place at the right time.

Financial Impacts

We have had to make some very difficult decisions as part of what we need to do to bring our finances back into line and achieve a balanced budget by 2012-13. The HIP identified target savings of $11.4 million for 2009-10. A number of cost-cutting measures will realize approximately $8 million of that total and finding the remaining $3.4 million in savings will be announced in the coming months as we develop the full implementation plan for the HIP.

So far, 90 staff positions have been identified to be eliminated. Of these positions, 30 are currently vacant and it is widely expected that the remaining 55 to 60 employees potentially impacted will be redeployed in our sites, significantly minimizing the likelihood of any layoffs. However, further staff impacts are expected as additional savings are identified in the coming months.

The evidence is clear that the status quo in the way we have historically provided patient care is no longer sustainable. While some financial savings will be realized, the HIP is primarily about improving quality of care.

Finding Alternate Level of Care Solutions

A number of the initiatives in the HIP depend on finding long-term solutions to the high number of Alternate Level of Care (ALC) patients residing in hospital beds. ALC patients are people who remain hospitalized as they wait for placement in long-term care, supportive housing facilities in the community or slow-paced recovery.

On average, 38% of NHS’s 694 inpatient beds (acute care and complex continuing care) are occupied by ALC patients who are awaiting placement. This is because of the older population of Niagara and the long-standing shortage of long-term care, rehabilitation and supportive housing beds in our region. Resolving ALC issues in Niagara is central to the success of the changes that we need to make through the HIP.