The Prince Albert Parkland Regional Health Authority (PAPHA) held its regular meeting April 24 at Blaine Lake Memorial Hall.
Strategic priorities approved by the PAPHA board of directors included primary health care access, the surgical experience and patient and staff safety.
"The regional priorities are aligned with the provincial health care plan, and will be the focus for our staff and physicians over the next 12 months," said Gord Dobrowolsky, RHA board chairperson. "The provincial and regional plan is a result of consultation with health system leaders, and we are confident that this will help improve specific areas within the health-care system."
Lynsay Donald, licensed practical nurse (LPN) and executive director for the Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses (SALPN), presented information regarding the LPN profession and educational preparedness, and identified the barriers challenging LPNs from being fully utilized in the health care system.
"There are 3,007 practising LPNs and 136 non-practising LPNs in the province," commented Lynsay.
LPNs graduate from a two-year diploma course and are educated to provide care while utilizing the nursing process in its entirety.
"There are some areas where LPNs are not fully utilized to their ability enabling them to use appropriate competencies. We must work together with registered nurses (RN) and keep the lines of communication open," said Lynsay, explaining LPNs should be able to work collaboratively with other medical staff towards patient safety and health and be utilized as a complementary health profession. LPNs are very influential in the province.
Lynsay briefly mentioned the negativity that emerged from a very strong and influential organization representing Saskatchewan nurses. "SUN has been providing and publishing information that has been perceived as very damaging to the LPN profession," commented Lynsay. "The information that they are sharing, although very supportive to the RN, is damaging and restrictive to the LPN profession."
Regional strategic priorities outlined for 2013-2014 were presented as a series of PowerPoint presentations.
By March 31, 2014, PAPHR will reach the following set goals: all patients will receive their first offer of elective surgery within three months; access to the care team (defined as face-to-face care, phone calls, emails or other forms of e-communication will be improved by five percent and the rate of no shows reduced by one percent in primary health care (PHC) sites; access and connectivity in PHC innovation sites will improve and the use of early learning to build foundational components spread across the province; all PAPHR clients will receive timely access to all areas within acute care; the ER will achieve and maintain the Canadian standard for CTAS timeliness; education and implementation of the provincial Stop the Line/Patient Safety Alert to prevent patient harm will be scheduled; there will be 100 per cent medication reconciliation done at all transition points (admission, transfer/discharge) to/within/from acute care to provide safe patient care; 100 percent of health care workers can describe their rights and responsibilities within the PAPHR safety management system; and 100 per cent of managers in PAPHR will develop, implement and complete standard work towards continuous improvement and support of teams/units to provide care and services that result in an improvement in patient and patient family satisfaction.
The PAPHR board is committed to providing better care, better health, better teams and better value for the residents of its health region.
"The board of directors is confident that we can achieve these goals," Dobrowolsky said. "We look forward to the regular updates during our Visibility Wall Walks at each board meeting, to review how we are doing and what is being done to do remove barriers and achieve our goals."
Cecile Hunt, chief executive officer, reported on the results of the Spiritwood expanded hours survey. There were 246 surveys completed; 99 were completed online and the remainder in paper format. Results showed the preference for some hours in the evenings on weekdays but there was no significant difference as to the day preferred. Respondents preferring weekend hours favoured time on Saturday significantly more than Sunday.
Other notes of interest from the regular board meeting included that the health region has an operating surplus of $860,265 as of Feb. 28. With required transfers to the capital account included, the region has a deficit of $50,685. Taking into consideration cyclical expenses such as utilities, employee benefits and vacation pay accruals, the region is currently forecasting a year-end deficit of $915,455. Increasing sick time usage and workplace injuries are major factors in the deficit projection. Workload issues due to overcapacity at the Victoria Hospital also contribute to the deficit projection.
A board policy to ensure specific oversight of staff safety was approved, following requirements from changes to occupational health and safety legislation. In addition the board of directors approved the membership of the finance and audit committee be members of the quality and safety committee.
Public citizens from Hafford and Blaine Lake also attended the meeting and were provided an opportunity to direct questions to the board. A question regarding the projections for level IV beds within the next five years was addressed. It was identified by the board that 26 new long-term care beds will come on stream in 2014 but with the majority located in the Prince Albert area. Cecile Hunt commented on the introduction of initiatives and a possible pilot project, Home First, which would encourage and support seniors to reside in their homes longer.
A member from the Hafford and Blaine Lake advisory board thanked PAPHR for opening the four beds, however asked that, instead of being part of a pilot project, if the beds could remain as permanent.
Another question from the floor regarded lab/blood services in Blaine Lake. The individual commended the nurse practitioners for doing a professional job however the concern is blood services offered once every two weeks. If an individual leaves the area for regular lab/blood services it creates an increased cost to the residents. Board response offered that there will be budget challenges going into the fiscal year and the board will have to examine all the resources before any decision is made.
An individual questioned monetary donations to the Hafford special care facility and why the local advisory committee is not made aware of who the donor is. Cecile Hunt identified the protocol with donations and emphasized donations are documented and cards of acknowledgement and receipts are issued however, donors' names do not become public knowledge unless the donor indicates otherwise.
The individual recommended the PAPHR board notify the local advisory board of donors so the acknowledgement can be made at the local level as well.
