Finally, some good news for the Canadian Health System

A system under strain

With the announcement on February 7 of a proposed 10-year health care funding offer between the Federal government and the provinces, hopes are being raised of a breakthrough on how our health system can be improved. However, while any increase in funding is to be welcomed, it is clear that ‘how’ health care is delivered also needs to change.

While we wait to learn the precise details of the new deal, many Canadians are voicing their concerns and fears for the future as they experience mounting difficulties navigating the health system. Mention the words ‘Canadian Health Care’ and people will describe a system under severe stress.

From longer wait-times for surgeries to challenges navigating the system to find the right care, at the right time, in the right place, the list of complaints and frustrations continues to grow.

A 2022 survey by the Angus Reid Institute confirms the above assessment is not just anecdotal with 29 per cent of adults (9?million Canadians) reporting they experienced "chronic difficulty" in accessing health care.

Notoriously difficult to fix, healthcare systems around the world are facing unprecedented challenges in the wake of dealing with the global pandemic. From the U.S. to the U.K. and many developed countries in between, hospitals are under increasing strain from staff shortages to burn-out, and here in Canada, there's a?chronic lack of family doctors.

Canada vs the U.S.

While no two nations are alike when it comes to health care, for Canadians it’s hard to resist a comparison to the United States. However, despite the temptation to believe we are in a much better place than our southern neighbours, a report by the Commonwealth Fund ranked Canada's health system second last, just ahead of the U.S., among high-income countries.

The report, released in 2021, ranked 11 countries on key health-system measures, including equity, access to care, affordability, health-care outcomes, and administrative efficiency.

The report found that the top-performing health systems overall are in Norway, the Netherlands, and Australia, while Switzerland, Canada and the U.S. were the countries with the worst health-care systems, respectively. Canada also ranked 9th out of the 11 countries for access to care, with the report citing the country's healthcare system's affordability and timeliness as reason for its placement.

Mapping the way forward

Despite the challenges facing the health care system, we actually do know how to fix it. In the search for a solution, often overlooked and dismissed is the hard and thoughtful work that goes into policy analysis and policy formulation.

We are fortunate in this province to have had the expert involvement of people like the late Dr. Rueben Devlin who left behind an inspiring and historic legacy of dedicated public service.

As Advisor and Chair of the Premier’s Council on Improving Health Care and Ending Hallway Medicine, in 2019 Dr. Devlin presented his second Report, entitled: A Healthy Ontario: Building a Sustainable Health Care System.

Included in its recommendations were the following:

·??????end hallway health care by building a modern, sustainable and integrated health care system that starts with the patient.

·??????ensure services are delivered in communities in a way that puts the patient at the centre of health care service delivery.

·??????relieve immediate capacity pressures, and build a health-care system ready for future challenges and opportunities.

·??????ensure all patients — especially those with complex needs — are well-connected to a comprehensive range of health services in the community.

From intention to action

As with any blueprint, the hard part is always in the implementation.

Taking to heart the advice and recommendations of Dr. Devlin and other similar panels of experts, West Park Healthcare Centre has identified – and acted – on the need to design a new health care ecosystem, one which is truly connected to all aspects of our health and one in which everyone has access to.

When the new West Park hospital building opens in late 2023, it will have an immediate impact on health care in Ontario.

With 20 per cent more beds and double the outpatient capacity, it will create a better balance between acute and post-acute care in Ontario and improve access to our specialized services. And with enhanced therapeutic facilities and innovative design that includes the integration of indoor and outdoor therapy spaces, it will help us transform the delivery of rehabilitative and complex continuing care in the province.

When the project is completed in 2025, West Park will enable our outdoor space to integrate with our indoor space to support the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our patients to get their lives back.

The new West Park will impact health care far beyond Toronto’s borders, providing a better balance in the system between acute and post-acute hospitals and helping to ensure that Ontarians can access the care they need, when they need it, in a state-of-the-art facility best suited to providing it.

Expanding on our respirology expertise, we will be able to move people from acute beds to West Park and eventually home. And our province-wide long-term ventilation program will allow over 300 people to live at home instead of an acute hospital bed.

The largest of three blocks – or wings – in the new hospital will be devoted to outpatient care, with features including:

·??????An Outpatient Clinic six times the size of the current clinic and home to a variety of clinics, including amputee, geriatrics, spasticity and more.

·??????Outpatient Rehabilitation facilities that will be 60 per cent larger and will include a much larger gymnasium, therapy pool, as well as an Activities of Daily Living suite to help patients prepare for a life of independence.

·??????An expanded Day Program that will provide intensive rehabilitation therapy to more patients living with serious respiratory illness, and will also include a new geriatric service to help seniors live at home longer.

·??????A Prosthetics and Orthotics department that will more than double in size and accommodate innovative and new technologies.

Doing things differently

At West Park, we know that patients want more options and flexibility in how they access health care, and they want to know that the system is supporting them throughout the process, ensuring they are engaged and empowered throughout their health care journey.

West Park has deliberately designed a more flexible system with a mix of health care and related supports that will allow patients to stay in their homes longer and maintain their independence.

The result will be better patient outcomes, greater efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability for the health system.

A bright future awaits

Since 1904, West Park has been helping patients live their fullest lives.

With Toronto projected to add one million people to its population by 2030, and with an aging population that is living longer with chronic conditions, this latest chapter in West Park’s illustrious history is welcome news for all Ontarians and our health care system.