The Scarborough Hospital has embarked on an exciting planning process that will help us create a stronger organization to better serve the residents of Scarborough. Called “Mission to Action—Our Five Year Plan to Strengthen Clinical Services at TSH” this process is designed to create a plan that is based on patient needs—current and future—and support ways to improve the care delivered to the hundreds of patients in our care each day.

UPDATE:  April 19, 2010

On Monday, April 19, a public town hall meeting was held at the General Campus, 3030 Lawrence Avenue East. One of the topics on the agenda was the Clinical Action Planning process. Meeting attendees reviewed the outputs from the April 15 Visioning Session, and reflected on the concept of the “ideal patient experience,” voting for the elements that they considered the most important.

Going forward, the ideal patient experience will be one of the tests by which the hospital’s plans are measured.  

The ideal patient experience – what does it look like?

Customer focused:
• Friendly, courteous and respectful
• Fosters trust
• Bring the service to the patient whenever feasible
• Culturally sensitive/in the right language
• All caregivers realize that the patient’s time is as important as their own
• Better food/culturally appropriate food

Involved and inclusive:
• Patient is involved in care plan
• Family and loved ones are involved as appropriate
• Inclusive of patient advocacy groups
• True informed consent

Seamless:
• One-stop shopping where possible
• Improve gaps in service
• Standardize policies and procedures at both sites
• Evaluate location of services to better support continuum of care

High Quality:
• Implement the right technology
• Improve or eliminate wait times
• Improve gaps in service

Click here to see the Clinical Action Planning power point presentation from April 19.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CLINICAL ACTION PLANNING PROCESS

Why is the hospital doing this?

Good planning is essential to the success of any organization, from large, multi-national corporations to small, volunteer-based community groups. It has been five years since TSH’s last five year plan was created, and much has changed since then. 

What’s involved in this process?

TSH physicians, staff, representatives from other healthcare organizations and members of the Scarborough community will look at patient needs (current and future), and explore opportunities to better meet those needs.  

How long will this take?

The process began March 31, and we plan to have a final plan in October 2010.

What are some of the parameters to this planning?

Those participating in the Clinical Action Planning process will need to consider current Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care priorities as well as Central East Local Health Integration Network priorities. Ministry priorities include reducing wait times, providing better access to healthcare professionals and keeping Ontarian’s healthy. Central East LHIN priorities include reducing wait times and reducing the impact of vascular disease.

These priorities will need to be married to the population health needs of Scarborough. Participants will also have to ensure that their plans are in keeping with The Scarborough Hospital’s new Mission, Vision and Values and Strategic Directions. They must also support the hospital’s two busy emergency departments, which combined, provided services to almost 100,000 patients last year.

Is this a cost-cutting exercise?

No. The Scarborough Hospital has a balanced budget—as it has for the past two years.  Participants do not need to find savings through this process to help balance the budget. The Clinical Action Planning process is about looking at strategies to best serve our patients now and into the future.

How are members of the community involved in this process?

The Scarborough Hospital’s Community Advisory Council has hands-on involvement in every aspect of this process, from the Steering Committee to individual program working groups.

Patients with direct experience in our hospitals have been invited to provide input at the program level, working side-by-side with the physicians and staff members who provide the care to plan for the future.

Representatives from other providers in the community and social service agencies have also been invited to be part of the process, providing their unique perspectives and helping us create more seamless transitions between providers and services.

Members of the general public who wish to provide input will have numerous opportunities throughout the process including focus groups and on-line surveys.  The first opportunity for input will take place at the hospital’s upcoming Town Hall meeting, April 19, 2010.

Mission To Action newsletter (PDF) - July 2010

Mission To Action newsletter (PDF) - April 15, 2010

Mission To Action newsletter (PDF) — March 31, 2010