Integrated program for Grey Bruce Hospice Palliative Care approved by South West LHIN

To include a residential hospice, an outreach program and a wellness program

LONDON, ON, July 26, 2012 /CNW/ - At its meeting on July 25, 2012, the South West Local Health Integration Network Board of Directors approved the establishment of a Grey Bruce Hospice Palliative Care integrated program that includes a residential hospice, an outreach program and a wellness program. The Board also directed South West LHIN staff to confirm with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care that the funding increase for residential hospices will be provided for the operation of a Grey Bruce residential hospice.

Members of the volunteer Board of the Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce Inc. attended the meeting. "We are excited that the residents of Grey and Bruce are finally going to benefit from the commitment made to our community for a residential hospice," said Ruth Lovell Stanners, Chair, Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce Inc. "The Chair of the South West LHIN, the Task Force and the rest of the Board deserve a lot of credit for their willingness to help move this project forward and their engagement with our Board throughout the process. They made the right decision."

"The decision by the LHIN Board is in keeping with the vision the Grey Bruce End-of-Life Care Partnership has so diligently worked to achieve since the announcement of the residential hospice funding for Grey Bruce in 2005," said Marie Palmer, Chair, Grey Bruce End-of-life Care Partnership Committee. "We are so grateful that community volunteers who make up the Board of the Grey Bruce Residential Hospice Inc. took up the banner and by working together we have this great decision today to move forward.  We look forward to collaborating with our partners in the community and in the health care system to bring this Center of Excellence to fruition."

The Board's decision to support an integrated program for Grey Bruce hospice palliative care was informed by a Task Force, comprised of Board members and supported by South West LHIN staff, established in March 2012. The Task Force reviewed numerous reports and engaged stakeholders to understand and assess the current needs and preferences of the Grey Bruce community.

The Task Force concluded that the community of Grey Bruce should move forward with an integrated model of hospice care for the community, inclusive of residential hospice, outreach and wellness components. The South West LHIN also funds partners like Community Care Access and the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) who will have a role in the integrated program.

"I know that the community has waited a long time for a residential hospice option," said Dr. Hilli Huff. "The plan we (Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce Inc.) submitted contemplated more than just a free standing hospice. By including improved access to outreach and wellness programs, as well as the residential hospice, we acknowledged that there is a better way to deliver end-of-life care throughout Grey and Bruce. We created a community hospice for all our families."

In order to ensure the sustainability of the project, the Task Force provided parameters to inform implementation planning. The parameters include beginning with a 4-6 bed co-located residential hospice located in Owen Sound, planning and funding for a hospice palliative care outreach team to serve the Grey Bruce area and the hiring of interim staffing resources to provide leadership in the of development detailed implementation plans so that the proposed new services will be operational in the Grey Bruce area as soon as possible.

"We congratulate the partners in Grey Bruce for their vision, hard work and passion," says Jeff Low, Chair, South West LHIN Board of Directors, "and who now have the mandate to move forward with the detailed planning and next steps necessary to implement an integrated program inclusive of a residential hospice, an outreach program and a wellness program."

Next steps include the South West LHIN staff bringing health care partners together with the Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce Inc. to hire interim resources and initiate the necessary planning for implementation.

FAQ          

Question:	Why an integrated approach?
Answer:	An integrated program will ensure the full continuum of hospice care programming is available to the Grey Bruce area. The integrated approach will include integration of existing services to ensure a more coordinated approach to care, enhancing services through the addition of a residential component in Owen Sound, an interdisciplinary outreach consultation team to serve the entire Grey Bruce area and a wellness program.
Question:	What are the financial considerations?
Answer:	The confirmed budget allocation from the South West LHIN is just over $600,000 for Grey Bruce hospice care. The funding is dedicated to covering the cost of resourcing (nurses) and does not extend to capital or operational costs. Local fundraising is required to sustain residential hospices.
	Over and above initial capital and start-up costs the Corpus Sanchez report states that $500,000 annually would be required to supplement the LHIN funds to run the hospice. This amount is consistent with the estimate for additional annual resources indicated in the Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce Inc. submission.
	The Corpus Sanchez report indicated that this level of fundraising in Grey Bruce would be a challenge as the median income for families in Grey Bruce is significantly lower than Ontario- and Canada-wide medians^1.
Question:	What is the Corpus Sanchez Report and what were its findings?
Answer:	The firm of Corpus Sanchez, a consulting firm expert in improving the performance and effectiveness of health care, was commissioned to provide an assessment and recommendation for hospice care in Grey Bruce to help inform the South West LHIN decision regarding allocation of hospice palliative care resources in Grey Bruce.
	The Corpus Sanchez report found key challenges in Grey Bruce to supporting a residential hospice including:
	A large geography where transportation can be an issue;
	Local fundraising required to sustain a residential hospice would be a significant challenge; and
	A lack of coordination among current providers.
	The Corpus Sanchez report "Transforming Palliative Care Services: Building an Integrated Palliative Care System for the Residents of Grey Bruce" identified an ideal vision for hospice care in Grey Bruce inclusive of all elements of hospice care. The report was received by the South West LHIN Board in January 2012.
Question:	Does the business plan prepared by the Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce Inc. have the approval of the South West LHIN Board of Directors?
Answer:	No. The submission submitted by the Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce Inc. was not approved by the South West LHIN Board of Directors. There are gaps in the business plan submitted by the Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce Inc. that need to be addressed. These gaps will be addressed in the specified next steps that are to follow the South West LHIN Board's approval of an integrated program.
	The concept of an integrated model of care inclusive of residential hospice, an outreach team and a wellness program has been supported by the South West LHIN.
Question:	What are the specified next steps?
Answer:	1) South West LHIN staff work with Grey Bruce partners to establish a Grey Bruce Hospice Palliative Care Oversight Committee to guide the development of a 4-6 bed residential hospice, outreach program and wellness program as part of an integrated hospice system of care for Grey Bruce.
	2) South West LHIN to designate one-time funding from the residential hospice funding held by the South West CCAC to a health service provider.
	3) Hiring of staff resources.
	4) Creation of detailed program and implementation plans that include a service delivery model, human resources plan, program budget(s), recommended lead agency and partnership structure, fundraising and communication plans, etc.
	5) Oversight Committee sign-off on program and implementation plans and South West LHIN approve operating plan, budgets etc. and establishment of required accountability agreements and reporting requirements.
	6) South West LHIN to designate base funding held for hospice palliative care at the South West CCAC to recommended Lead Agency/health service provider(s) to implement wellness, outreach and residential hospice service.
	7) Grey Bruce Hospice Palliative Care integrated program implementation begins.

For further background information please see the Board Report, Agenda Item 5.1, posted on the South West LHIN website… http://www.southwestlhin.on.ca/uploadedFiles/Public_Community/Board_of_Directors/2012/Board%20of%20Directors%20Agenda%20Pkg%20%20July%2025%20%202012%20-FINALv2.pdf

¹ Source: Statistics Canada 2006 census.

SOURCE: South West Local Health Integration Network

Contact:

Mary Ellen Khan 
519.640.2604 
[email protected]

Ruth Lovell Stanners
519.371.1976
[email protected]

Toll-free: 1 866 294-5446
www.southwestlhin.on.ca