SAH

The Health Ministry’s discussion paper on proposed changes to the Local Health Integration Network which would provide expanded powers for the Liberal created LHINs led to the longest discussion of all the agenda items at tonight’s Sault Area Hospital Board meeting.  The expanded powers proposed in the recently released discussion paper includes responsibility over performance management of family doctors.  It would also allow LHINs to assume the services delivered by the Community Care Access Centre such as governing and managing the delivery of home and community care.  It would also provide for much tighter coordination with Public Health through accountability agreements.  Sault Area Hospital CEO Ron Gagnon had this early view of the discussion paper…

Gagnon says the Board needs more information…

A request will be made to have the respresentatives on hand for a Board meeting in January.   One of the changes would give LHINs oversight over primary care providing for better coordination.  Gagnon believes the idea is to focus on outcomes…

The discussion paper follows concerns made by Ontario’s Auditor General which found the level of homecare services that Community Care Access Centres provide vary widely across the province and none of Ontario’s 14 LHINS has ever met all targets in 15 performance areas.