Niagara Health System is informing the public and media partners about work undertaken the last few months regarding planning for the new South Niagara Hospital and other elements of Dr. Smith’s final report. This work is well underway, with critical milestones having been met to-date.
KEY COMPONENTS OF TODAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT INCLUDE:
- Niagara Health System has begun initial planning for the future around clinical visioning for the new South Niagara site and two Urgent Care Centres.
- Planning Partners have been selected through competitive bidding, consistent with standard approaches to hospital planning as follows:
- KPMG LLP and Preyra Solutions Group (PSG) have been selected as the successful proponents to work alongside members of NHS Leadership to provide oversight on the Clinical Visioning planning elements
- Agnew Peckham has been selected to provide functional programming and project management support
- Cannon Design has been selected to provide initial architectural renderings of the new facility
- A future planning Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from NHS, Hamilton-Niagara-Haldimand-Brant Local Health Integration Network, and other external stakeholders has been set in place to provide insight into the visioning.
- Extensive community engagement/ public consultation are being planned in 2015 to ensure residents aspirations and concerns are considered at every stage.
- Consultation on visioning with partner organizations is beginning this upcoming week with more to follow.
- NHS team members will also have opportunities to contribute in future stages
- An online forum is being launched at www.niagarahealth.on.ca/future to provide interested community members the opportunity to stay connected, informed, and to promote community participation.
The first step is in developing a Clinical Services Plan that will inform the capital planning process. Ensuring that residents of Niagara have the right care at the right time in the right place is more than building new facilities—it requires Niagara Health System to understand community needs and plan for them now, and in the future. As such, NHS has engaged the short-term services of KPMG LLP and Preyra Solutions Group (PSG) to work with Niagara Health System and its partners to create an evidenced based, outcomes-focused Clinical Services Plan.The capital planning process will build on the key work and recommendations outlined in Dr. Kevin Smith’s report to the Minister of Health and Long Term Care. Dr. Smith’s report outlined a new integrated model of health delivery that will be better for quality and patient experience, healthcare team experience, and sustainability of the health system. Moving forward, Niagara Health System will continue to act on its commitment in creating a high-quality, patient-centered healthcare system that meets community healthcare needs today and well into the future.
The many opportunities for community engagement will be made clear as well in the coming weeks. Regular communications to our community and health services partners are also planned. Interested persons can receive updates by signing up on the NHS online forum: www.niagarahealth.on.ca/future. The focus of this forum is to provide interested staff and community members the opportunity to stay connected, informed, and to promote proactive community participation. The website will provide an overview of plans; when and where in-person community engagement events will be held, as well as a space for residents to ask questions and provide valuable feedback. We will also plan other regular updates to the community via media.
NHS Board Chair, Dr. Barry Wright noted: ‘Today’s announcement marks an exciting milestone in sharing a rejuvenated vision for Niagara Health System and Regional care. Members of the Steering Committee, including NHS Leaderships, the LHIN, and health service partners, have been selected for their invaluable leadership, experience, and expertise to help positively guide all future planning processes. These collaborative efforts mark the beginning steps NHS has taken to ensure that the Niagara Region will have the best healthcare delivery system possible for its communities. Our Board is committed and we are pleased to report NHS planning progress as being right on track.’
Ms. Angela Zangari, NHS Executive Vice President, Finance and Operations, is the appointed executive lead of this development. Angela suggests ‘We possess a distinct advantage having recently built a brand new state-of-the-art facility in St. Catharines that has improved access to critical programs and services such as Cancer Care, cardiac procedures, and the expansion of Mental Health programs closer to residents’ homes. The NHS team has full confidence that future planning will be just as successful as we expand upon our recent successes.’
‘As these upcoming changes reflect a new and positive direction for healthcare, NHS will continue to communicate with our community members as frequently as possible, and will also undergo robust public engagement and participation during the different phases of planning for the new hospital and Urgent Care Centres’, says NHS President, Dr. Suzanne Johnston. ‘Having quite recently had the opportunity to engage with one of our communities and receiving tremendous feedback, NHS leaders most certainly appreciate the need to include every community served throughout the planning process. We are committed to ensuring that all aspirations and concerns have been identified before the new site is built.’
‘The transformation championed by the dedicated NHS Team has already been remarkable,’ says NHS CEO Dr. Kevin Smith. ‘In our next exciting phase of planning we have the ability to re-envision the hospital system of the future with our partners – a state-of-the art system of care that is well-coordinated with community and academic partners, meeting the needs of all our communities.’
Media contact:
Caroline Bourque Wiley, 905-378-4647, ext. 43113; cwiley@niagarahealth.on.ca
