Update on Ongoing Health System Restructuring

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***Update on Ongoing Health System Restructuring***
 
Dear members,

There has been lots happening locally and provincially with system restructuring, including the first steps in the formation of Ontario Health Teams – with the first ones expected to be announced by the end of this month.

We’d like to provide an update on several significant milestones that have happened in recent weeks.

Bill 124
Bill 124, Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019, received royal assent on November 7. Its purpose is “to ensure that increases in public sector compensation reflect the fiscal situation of the province.” This Act puts a restriction on salary increases of no more than 1% for each 12-month period, with some exceptions.
 
AFHTO continues to work with the ministry to understand if this may impact future recruitment and retention funding. However, the funding for 18/19, 19/20 and 20/21 was approved in a multi 3-year agreement which is within base funding. At the moment, there are no plans to counter that and signals point to commitment to the R&R funding until the end of the three years. If you have any questions, call your ministry program consultant, and we will keep you updated as we learn more about the new bill and its implementation.
 
Bill 138
On November 6, Finance Minister Rod Phillips introduced his first Fall Economic Statement: Plan to Build Ontario Together Act, 2019 (Bill 138).

Of particular note for health care, Bill 138 includes Schedule 15, which includes changes to the Health Insurance Act, and Schedule 30, which speaks to the modernization of the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) to enable more connected care.
 
Bill 138 also includes the introduction of the Supply Chain Management Act (Government, Broader Public Sector and Health Sector Entities), which is intended to help build an integrated, patient-focused supply chain to support a more connected health system.
 
A fact sheet and joint deputy minister memo on the Supply Chain Management Act, as well as a memo from H&K Strategies on the Fall Economic Statement, can be seen on our website.
 
Transfer Notices Issued
On November 13, transfer notices were issued to the agencies that are integrating to Ontario Health by December 2: Cancer Care Ontario, Health Quality Ontario, eHealth Ontario, Health Shared Services Ontario, and HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency. The 14 LHINs will follow shortly, but for now have been reorganized into five interim and transitional regions with the five interim leads being:

• Bruce Lauckner who will become the Transitional Regional Lead in western Ontario (and managing Erie St. Clair, Hamilton Haldimand Norfolk Brant, South West and Waterloo Wellington).
• Renato Discenza who will become the Transitional Regional Lead in eastern Ontario (and managing Champlain, South East and Central East LHINs).
• Scott McLeod who will become the Transitional Regional Lead in central Ontario (and managing Central, Central West, Mississauga Halton and North Simcoe Muskoka).
• Tess Romain who will become the Transitional Regional Lead in Toronto (and managing Toronto Central).
• Rhonda Crocker Ellacott who will become the Transitional Regional Lead in northern Ontario (and managing North East and North West).

To see the full memo from Interim CEO, Susan Fitpatrick, on the transfer notices, please click here. Ontario Health now also has a website, so visit www.ontariohealth.ca to learn more.
 
Digital First for Health Strategy
Yesterday the ministry announced its Digital First for Health Strategy, which includes $3 million in new funding to compensate physicians for 55,000 more video visits provided directly to patients in their location of choice over the next year.
 
Once this strategy is fully implemented, patients will be able to expect more virtual care options, expanded access to online appointment booking, greater data access for patients, connected tools for frontline providers, and data integration and predictive analytics. As more details emerge, we will be updating our members.
 
Update on OHTs
We look forward to the announcement of the first OHTs later this month, and to learning the teams that will be part of the next round of submissions, which are due on December 4.

Please continue to keep AFHTO up-to-date on your progress, let us know how we can help you, and continue to check out the updates and support tools on our website.
 
Please also continue to keep your colleagues up-to-date on the ongoing changes, and, if they have not already, encourage they sign up for our weekly e-newsletter by emailing info@afhto.ca and sign up to receive the Connected Care Updates from the ministry.
 
Yours sincerely,

Kavita Mehta
CEO, Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario