Dear Executive Directors and Administrative Leads,
We had a year-end call with ministry officials last week and would like to provide an update on multiple operational topics that were discussed.
AOP submission
There will be a pause on AOPs for 2021/22. They will resume for an April 2022 submission. While there will be no AOP this year, teams can still submit unsolicited funding requests as needed.
The ministry is also analyzing quarterly reports and forecasting data to examine increases to overhead, rent, hydro, IT, professional services, etc. Through this process, they hope to get a sense of overall budgetary trends, limitations, and constraints across teams. We will share more on this work as we learn it, but we encourage teams to be timely with quarterly reports and audited financial statements to help inform this work.
FHT contract
The FHT contract is due to expire in 2022. However, the ministry has indicated that they will be extending the contract for one year, which they will communicate to teams directly when the decision is made. We have signalled that we would like to modernize the FHT contract to better reflect the current environment, so there will be discussion and consultation on possible contract changes and improvements. We do not yet have a timeline for these consultations, but we will begin internal discussions with members soon.
Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs)
Last April, OH(Q) paused QIP submissions for 2020/21 due the COVID-19 pandemic. The QIP Navigator remained open so that organizations that had the capacity to continue working on submissions were able to do so. They will be closing the 2020/21 cycle in Navigator on March 24, 2021.
Regarding 2021/22 QIPs, OH(Q) understands that organizations continue to be under unprecedented pressure related to the pandemic and that this will likely continue for the next several months. As such, they are adjusting the 2021/22 QIP to help ensure that organizations can focus their efforts on responding to urgent needs related to COVID-19.
While QI is of critical importance in the collective response to COVID-19, the pause on the program will continue for now. They will monitor the situation and share a revised approach in the coming months.
The approach to 2021/22 will be designed to provide organizations with flexibility to reflect where they are with their QI efforts given the pandemic, local needs, pressures, and goals for the recovery period. They encourage organizations to continue with their local QI initiatives and will be in touch soon.
If your team has not submitted the 2020/21 QIP, which was due last April, it would be good to close it out. OH(Q) has created a video to help with that process. For any questions, please contact OH(Q) at qip@ontariohealth.ca.
Mental health and addiction funding
All teams should have received their one-time federal funding allocation to support the increase in MH&A supports needed as a result of COVID-19. Unfortunately, our request to allow these funds to be carried over due to the timing of the funding receipt and the exceptional circumstances of COVID-19 was denied. Funding must be spent by March 31, 2021. However, there is considerable flexibility in how teams can utilize this funding if it can be tied to providing MH&A relief (e.g., training, equipment, IT).
Please note there is very specific and very limited criteria for which the government allows funds to be carried over into the next fiscal year and the MH&A funding does not meet the criteria. (For example, OHT funding meets the requirements of “project funding for implementation and start up,” so there is allowance for carry over of OHT funds.)
Funding for vaccine clinics
There is no direct funding from the ministry for teams that are working in or running COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Any inquiries about this funding need to be directed to your local public health unit as they are managing the budgets related to roll-out of the vaccine clinics.
Also, a reminder that physicians on your team can review a Ministry INFOBulletin regarding newly negotiated compensation for vaccinations and vaccine outreach.
Governance review
The ministry recently conducted an assessment of the Governance & Attestation documents submitted by teams as part of their annual submission requirements. This assessment identified two areas that need improvement for many boards: 1) board monitoring of organizational performance; and 2) board self-performance monitoring.
Over the next few months, we will be developing practical tools and templates to support team boards in these two areas. As a result of the review, some teams may also receive a specific action plan from the ministry identifying opportunities for further improvement in governance practices.
Call-out to EDs to join a short-term working group!
One of the first tools AFHTO will be developing to assist with governance, as noted in the previous section, is a toolkit for “Governance Oversight of Organizational Performance.” This will be done in collaboration with the Centre for Organizational Effectiveness. AFHTO is looking for guidance and input from EDs to inform this work.
We’re hoping three or four EDs may be available in April and May to provide insight and feedback! We expect this would be two or three 1-hour virtual meetings over the course of the two months, and a few occasional questions via email regarding the document as it is developed. If you are able and interested, please email Bryn Hamilton.
We hope you are all keeping well! If you have any questions, please contact us any time at info@afhto.ca.
Sincerely,
Your AFHTO Team
Leave a Reply