Community hospitals are taking on new roles – and other enhancements are on the way – as part of the Better Access, Better Care initiative, said Dr. Richard Wedge, CEO of Health PEI.
“We are now implementing the changes announced in March that will increase Islanders’ access to primary health care, general practitioners, long-term care, and emergency services,” Dr. Wedge said. “Improvements will continue through this fall as we work to make the most efficient use of our resources and deliver the care that best meets the needs of all Islanders.”
On Monday, July 8, Souris Hospital and Community Hospital O’Leary begin the transition to delivering more extended-care services for Islanders from all regions of the province who do not require the specialized services of an acute-care hospital bed. By providing added beds for patients who need some assistance such as restorative, respite, convalescent or palliative care, these hospitals will help make acute-care beds available for our sickest Islanders.
At Souris Hospital, 14 beds will offer extended care for patients including those from Eastern Kings. Up to six beds will continue to be used for Souris acute-care patients. Ambulatory care and lab and X-ray services will still be offered at the same hours and staffing levels, and they will be continually re-evaluated – like all services that Health PEI delivers throughout the province – to assure that they are meeting the needs of Islanders as effectively and efficiently as possible.
At Community Hospital O’Leary, 13 beds will be available for all Islanders, including those from West Prince, who need extended care. Lab and X-ray services will be available Monday through Friday and will also be evaluated on an ongoing basis.
Also this week, community hospitals in the east (Souris Hospital and Kings County Memorial Hospital in Montague) will begin reporting to Rick Adams, executive director of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and hospitals in the west (Community Hospital O’Leary and Western Hospital in Alberton) will report to Arlene Gallant-Bernard, executive director of Prince County Hospital. Community hospitals had previously reported to the executive director of Community Hospitals and Primary Health Care. The new structure will better meet the objectives outlined in Health PEI’s strategic plan by improving work flow, efficiency and quality of care in all Island hospitals.
Additional enhancements will be rolled out in the coming months:
• Beginning August 1, two new rapid-response emergency units – one serving West Prince and another serving Kings County – will be available to quickly respond to calls in those communities. These improvements will increase access to emergency services for all Islanders.
• Islanders will have access to 24-hour health information and advice by phone beginning in late September when 8-1-1 Telehealth comes to the province. Staffed by a registered nurse and available in multiple languages in partnership with Nova Scotia, the phone service will improve access to quick, quality health advice and advise Islanders on whether to self-manage, seek community support, or access medical attention from their family practitioner or an emergency department.
• Stable, around-the-clock access to medical care returns to Western Hospital in October, when a registered nurse and an emergency medical technician will begin offering medical care overnight (10 p.m. to 8 a.m.) while in phone contact with a physician. Known as a “collaborative emergency centre,” this overnight model will increase access to general practitioners by enabling West Prince physicians to offer more office appointments to their patients. A physician will continue to staff the emergency department during the day (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.).
On June 25, Stewart Memorial in Tyne Valley became a 23-bed long-term care facility to help increase the number of those beds available in the province. It was also announced that a new 24-bed manor would be built in Tyne Valley.
The Tyne Valley Health Centre continues to offer services by appointment including blood work, medical appointments, chronic disease prevention and management (diabetes, high-blood pressure and COPD), blood pressure and blood sugar checks, suture/staple removal, throat swabs, prescription renewals, ear syringing, dressing changes, and cortisone, B12 and other injections. Diabetes education, public health and mental health services are also available at the health centre.
“Over the coming months, we will continue to review our system performance and services to ensure they meet the goals of our 2013-2016 strategic plan – which are to enhance quality, access and efficiency,” Dr. Wedge added. “Putting these goals into daily practice will help us meet our challenge as a single, integrated health system to provide every Islander with the right care, by the right provider, in the right place.”
For more information visit www.betteraccessbettercare.ca.