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Clinical Action Planning Process

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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: March 24, 2011

CAP Steering Committee sets course for the future

Cancer, CDM confirmed as areas of focus

In a half-day meeting to look at the final rankings of Clinical Action Planning projects, members of the CAP steering committee confirmed Cancer and Chronic Disease Management as TSH’s areas of corporate focus and investment going forward.

“The nine business cases were divided into two categories—smaller projects, which could be achieved at the PSG level, and large scale projects, which would require significant investment of money, time and people at the corporate level. Cancer and CDM were two of the large scale projects,” explains Dr. Steve Jackson, the CAP project lead.

The steering committee also endorsed four “smaller projects” as corporate priorities going forward. These will be implemented over the next five years and funding will need to be secured as part of a long-term budget planning exercise.

“As many of the steering committee members pointed out, moving forward with Cancer and CDM will have the strongest impacts throughout the organization,” says Dr. Wright, TSH’s President and CEO. “To be a strong cancer care provider, for example, we will need to focus on making sure we have the very best surgical support for those patients. To truly offer patient-centred chronic disease management, we will need to change many of our processes and procedures to make them more patient-centred. The impacts will be significant and positive throughout the organization.”

TSH’s industry-leading Dialysis program will continue to be linked witih CDM.

The need for enhanced cancer care in Scarborough in the future has been identified as a serious need by Cancer Care Ontario. Other providers, such as Sunnybrook, Princess Margaret and Lakeridge, do not have the capacity to absorb the number of cases projected to be coming from Scarborough in the next five to ten years.

“This is a big win for Scarborough residents,” explains Dr. Wright. “Access to cancer care that is timely and close to home is exactly what is needed. Building on our already-strong oncology program will allow us to quickly develop a reputation as one of the best.”

The chronic disease management program will focus on building a new patient-centred philosophy of care, starting with diabetes patients.

“When we figure out how to better organize our care around the needs of diabetes patients, we will be able to extend what we have learned to other disease states,” explains Rhonda Seidman-Carlson, TSH’s Chief Nursing Executive. “It’s really about putting the person at the centre and that will challenge us to look at our entire operations.”

The recommendations of the CAP steering committee will be presented to the Board of Directors on May 10. The final report, which summarizes the process and details the next steps, will follow final board endorsement.

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

Read our full “Reflections on the Ideal Patient Experience” report.

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 expect to have a Board-approved plan in March 2011.

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, as well as two public summits.