Hello, Boozhoo, Bonjour.
I would like to begin this month’s Blog by letting you know about some of the challenges surrounding our budget, preparing you for accreditation, and acknowledging what the past few months have looked like across our organization.
We are four months into the calendar year and our capacity pressures continue. A prolonged flu and RSV season have pushed volumes up at a time when the broader system is already under pressure. We all recognize and appreciate the hard work and extra efforts of our teams to support the continuing patient flow and transitions. We will continue to work with our partners, including Ontario Health to problem solve and ensure patients receive timely care in the most appropriate setting.
On the topic of system pressures, as you may recall in my past blogs and Town Halls, I referenced budgetary processes. The Ministry has directed every Ontario hospital to find a path to a balanced budget over the next three years. Cuts at other hospitals across the province have been in the news, and the Ministry has told each and every hospital in the province to find low-risk savings that will help to modernize and strengthen the health care system for sustainability, while not impacting quality of care and access. We are working with Ontario Health and our partners to identify those savings. We do struggle with this work as we are the only regional tertiary academic hospital in Northwestern Ontario, operating with fewer resources than most of our peers serving smaller populations.
While I do not have all the answers today and this can feel unsettling, please know that I will keep you informed as decisions take shape, and tell you what I know when I know it. If you have ideas about efficiency in your area, send them to me. Many a times, frontline staff see things leadership does not. This will be a team effort.
Our Accreditation Survey is almost upon us. In two weeks it is our chance to showcase the important work that we do here each and every day. During the week of May 11th, surveyors will be walking around our facility, talking to staff and observe interactions with patients and families. Please take the opportunity to review the posted information at your unit and at the link here. If a surveyor approaches you, speak to the work you do every day. If you do not know an answer, say so and refer them to your supervisor or unit leader. That is a professional response. Accreditation is a chance to show outside reviewers what we already know about ourselves.
We all have a role to play in shaping the patient experience. Through the Family CARE grants program some of you have submitted ideas to better our care and the overall experience through funding support by the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. When those grants come through and a unit gets a piece of equipment or a program improvement that makes care better, I want to be clear in recognizing the donors who make it happen. I am talking about the person who bought a 50/50 ticket because they believe in this Hospital. The family that wrote a cheque after a loved one was treated here. The estate gift from someone who is no longer with us but wanted their final act to be one of generosity to this region. Those are the people who fund the improvements you see at the bedside. They support us because they believe in the hard work that you all do.
Every piece of donor-funded equipment in this Hospital exists because someone decided that the people of Northwestern Ontario deserved better. So, when you see a Family CARE Grant land on your unit, take a moment to remember that it came from a person who cares and wanted to help you do your job better.
To every staff member, professional staff member, volunteer and learner here, thank you. Every day, you do make a difference.
As always, you can reach me directly at rhonda.ellacott@tbh.net. I appreciate hearing from you.
