The Prairie North Health Region made two major announcements last week, concerning obstetric care and provincial funding.
The morning of April 16, the Battlefords Union Hospital launched the Managing Obstetrics Risk Efficiently (MORE OB) obstetrical improvement program. The program is a three-year performance improvement program for nurses, physicians and administrators.
Essentially, its purpose is to standardize obstetric care for all patients, meaning that a pregnant woman who is diabetic will receive the exact same procedures in any hospital in the region. The program is not local, but pools information from across Canada. In PNHR, Lloydminster Hospital has already implemented the program.
"Going through this established program will help our staff consolidate and share a common knowledge base. The result will be a better patient experience, as we deliver continually improving, safe patient care," explained Barbara Jiricka, vice-president of Integrated Health Services for the PNHR.
The cost of the training program is $34,225, with the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses contributing $14,800 and PNHR contributing the remainder, including costs associated with staff replacement.
The April 11 board meeting also saw the PNHR take issue with the provincial budget. While board members were careful not to criticize the 4.2 per cent increase in base funding, CEO David Fan explained "this is going to be a fiscally challenging year."
In the coming year, compensation for staff and physicians will increase by nearly $10 million. This amount will be covered by the base funding increase. But PNHR is also being asked to find nearly $2.7 million in "improved sick time and overtime management, shared services and overall general system efficiencies."
The board did, however, find parts of the budget to praise. Specifically, the board singled out the continuing support for the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative and specific funding for innovative Primary Health Care sites.
The next public PNHR board meeting, at Battlefords Union Hospital, is April 25. For board meeting minutes or more information, visit www.pnhra.ca.
