Health Care Review to Recommend 10-Year Plan
For Release #08-083
April 10, 2008
WHITEHORSE - Finance Minister Dennis Fentie and Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers have appointed a committee to review funding and sustainability of the territory's health care system.
"We recognize there will be a need to increase fiscal capacity within the health care system," Fentie said. "Through this process, we will have an informed set of recommendations to help guide us through the next 10 years."
The committee will be chaired by former Health and Social Services and Finance Deputy Minister Bruce McLennan. Steering committee members are Health and Social Services Deputy Minister Stuart Whitley, Finance Deputy Minister David Hrycan, Yukon Hospital Corp. Chair Craig Tuton and the former director of the Whitehorse General Hospital Yukon First Nations Health Program, Donna Hogan.
"Our objective is to come out of this with strategies to ensure Yukoners continue to have access to quality health care for the next decade and beyond," Cathers said.
This review will lead to recommendations consistent with the principles of the Canada Health Act.
As chair of the committee, McLennan will submit the report and recommendations jointly to Yukon's Finance and Health and Social Services Ministers.
Review of Health Care Program Delivery, Funding & Sustainability
Terms of Reference
Object: to review the current and long-term viability over the next ten years of the public health care system in Yukon, and to make recommendations regarding:
• Existing and projected areas of pressure on the health care system,
• Strategies to maintain and sustain access to care and quality of services,
• Yukon's ability to respond to changing acute care, primary care, and long term care demands,
• The merits of alternate funding models for the Yukon Hospital Corporation, and
• The components of a business case to support continuing, and renewed, stable funding for health care from the federal government.
The Review: The Review shall consider the strengths and weaknesses of the health care system in Yukon in the context of an environmental scan. This will take into account, but will not be limited to, the following:
• demographic and economic projections,
• best practices and innovation in place elsewhere,
• predictable trends in Yukon related to meeting increased demands,
• the economic issues related to prescription drug programs and their costs,
• recruitment and retention of health care professionals in Yukon,
• management organization and governance structures, including policies and administrative procedures,
• identifying inefficiencies including duplication, and redundancies,
• strategic allocation of resources,
• standards of excellence crucial to a credible, effective health care system,
• risk management,
• health education and promotion programs that reduce demands on primary and acute care.
Principles of the Canada Health Act: this review will lead to recommendations consistent with the principles of public administration, universality, accessibility, comprehensiveness, and portability.
Timetable: this review will commence immediately upon establishment of a steering committee, to be chaired by the Contractor. The steering committee will consist of:
• The Contractor
• The Chair of the Board of the Yukon Hospital Corporation
• The Deputy Minister of Health & Social Services
• The Deputy Minister of Finance
• A Yukon First Nations Member
Both the Yukon Hospital Corporation and the Department of Health and Social Services are currently undergoing strategic planning processes. The resulting Strategic Plans will provide long-term direction and vision for these agencies and will be referenced within the Review as appropriate.
The Review shall include targeted consultations and research. This requires that a 'discussion document' be ready to be shared with stakeholders in early fall 2008. This consultation will occur in a manner to be decided by the steering committee, and will include discussions with key stakeholders such as the YMA, YRNA, and other health care providers.
Feedback from this phase shall be included in the final report to be tabled with the Minister of Health and Social Services and the Minister of Finance by late fall 2008. The Final Report shall contain recommendations which will address the 5 critical objects of the Review itself.
Deliverables:
1) A Review discussion document will be prepared by early fall to allow for targeted consultations during the fall 2008.
2) Following these targeted discussions, a report including recommendations for Improvements to Health Care Delivery will be tabled with the Minister of Health and Social Services and the Minister of Finance in late fall 2008.
3) A business case that supports ongoing, stable health care funding over the next ten years will also be developed by the end of 2008, in conjunction with the report on Improvements to Health Care Delivery, this business case will be used to obtain stable health care funding from the federal government.