How are we partnering with health authorities?

Activity types:

• Working on solutions for emergency room and hospital access, flow, and capacity 
• Identifying challenges, provider burdens, and community needs
• Exploring new service and inpatient models
   

Northern Health regional: Hospital Overcapacity Project 

A collaborative regional table on hospital overcapacity that includes MSAs and physician and health authority leaders has validated the impacts of long stay patients on Northern BC hospitals. It has produced findings and recommendations for taking action in the system, community, and long-term-care. Northern Health is working on a number of improvements, while using the data for future planning. Learn more: findings, recommendations and data tool>
 

East Kootenay Regional: Patient Transportation Committee 

A regional committee spanning five hospitals has brought together MSAs, Interior Health, and partner/transport organizations to collectively solve long-standing challenges to improve and coordinate health care access for patients living in smaller communities. Actions include organizing provider education for managing agitation in smaller emergency rooms to avoid transfers to larger centres. Learn more>
 

Nelson: Exploring inpatient care options

The Kootenay Lake Hospital MSA, health authority, and division of family practice are working find ways to manage and balance in-patient care with longitudinal practice. Solutions have included exploring a "Doctor of the Week" program with schedule changes from daily to weekly shifts, and addressing space challenges associated with providing in-patient care within the facility.
 

Bella Bella: Multi-year Clinical Resources Management Project 

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) team members and a new patient care coordinator have collaborated extensively with physicians to reorganize and modernize the Emergency Department at ƛ̓uxválásu̓ilas Heiltsuk Hospital, to streamline the experience of regular and visiting physicians and nurses, and improve patient safety.

As part of this work, the Trauma / Critical Care Bay has been significantly optimized, and all clinical spaces in the hospital and clinic have been updated with state-of-the-art diagnostic wall sets, chosen in collaboration with VCH.
 

Activity types:

• Coordinating recruitment planning among MSAs, health authorities, and community partners
• Enhancing the work environment to attract new medical staff and improve retention
• Improving the onboarding experience for new medical staff, and to retain locums
   

Creston: Exploring alternatives to recruit and retain doctors

A committee representing three clinics in Creston, along with the Chief of Staff and a community recruiter, is exploring new ways to encourage new doctors to work in the area.

Historically, physicians have been expected to cover all aspects of rural care: emergency room (ER), long term care, and family practice. In order to relieve current family/ER physicians, the group is exploring alternative approaches such as hiring ER physicians, permanent locums, and a hospitalist model trial.

Discussions have also looked at how to extend the length of time a physician works (happily) – or to retire "well" in the community in a way that is helpful to one's colleagues without totally stopping practice.

BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC): Making the workplace more attractive for physician recruitment and retention 

Engagement with existing and past physicians providing Tuberculosis services has identified opportunities for changes that can make the workplace more attractive to new recruits, and reduce the departure of existing physicians. Physician feedback identified a number of clinic flow, efficiency, and structural issues that hinder the patient and provider experience, along with recommendations for change. 

Phase two of the project includes discussions with BCCDC’s Chief Operating Officer, operational leaders, and MSA executives on taking specific steps towards implementing recommendations, leading to meaningful changes and a more attractive workplace.  Learn more: physician feedback and recommendations>
 

Northern Health: Onboarding Partnership

Northern Health and the University Hospital of Northern BC in Prince George have partnered on recruitment, onboarding, orientation. In a key step forward, two doctors with first-hand experiences led a process to create a practical, useful orientation guide for newly-hired physicians, while identifying issues for further follow-up. Read more: Process and orientation guide>
 

Activity Types:

• Extending collaboration to include nurses, community doctors, divisions of family practice, First Nations communities
• Engaging across MSAs, communities, and regions
• Connecting with additional funding streams

Prince George: Engaging First Nations community members and interdisciplinary members for culturally safe care

An emergency room physician and the health authority have engaged multidisciplinary emergency room (ER) providers, and First Nations elders and community members in dialogue sessions to build culturally safe care in the ER. The sessions are building understanding, relationships, and trust as a foundation for tangible action, which includes creating and filling an Indigenous Patient Liaison position. Learn more>
 

Fort St. John: Valuing and including nurses in planning

Nursing staff are considered a key pillar of the Fort St. John hospital, and staffing challenges adversely impact patients and how physicians work. Local partnerships on recruitment include working to understand nursing recruitment and identify engagement activities that may support for nursing recruitment and retention. The MSA is also interested in inviting nurses to their strategic plan development for collaborative work.
 

White Rock: Collaborating with the Primary Care Network to prevent admissions

A multi-disciplinary working group at Peace Arch Hospital has made changes to improve the care of patients, particularly isolated seniors, with congestive heart failure (CHF) – and to prevent hospital admissions and re-admissions. The team has worked to identify CHF patients upon admission, distribute public education materials, and spread knowledge into the community.

They have partnered with the Primary Care Network to offer early phone follow-up or home visits by neighbourhood nurses after discharge. Initial results are promising with impact measurement underway.
 

Burnaby: Joint funding and multidisciplinary engagement to reduce Maternity Clinic patient wait times

Changes to Burnaby Maternity Clinic referral processes reduced patient referral wait times from three months to just three days through a multidisciplinary team effort, and a joint SSC Facility Engagement and SSC Physician Quality Improvement (PQI) project. Learn more>