Dr. Doris Grinspun
Thank you to the many members who responded to my last column on Ontario’s health system restructuring, and the creation of Ontario Health Teams (OHT). It was one of those columns that went through several reiterations because, on an almost daily basis, I was receiving information on how Ontario’s restructuring plans would unfold.
RNAO has been privileged to be an informed and important partner in the process. In fact, on more than one occasion, we influenced the outcomes. A case in point is the integration of primary care as a mandatory piece of the OHT application process, which we pursued until it was achieved.
About 158 teams provided letters of intent to participate as OHTs by the deadline of May 15. RNAO was honoured to be asked for, and to provide, letters of support to numerous Best Practice Spotlight Organizations (BPSO). We are even prouder to now be working with potential OHT teams to use best practice guidelines (BPG) to unify evidence-based practice and the BPSO approach to ensure evidence uptake, implementation, measurement and sustainability.
RNAO is committed to providing BPSOs with all the supports they need to become a part of OHTs, and to share their strength and knowledge in a way that will ensure these teams are a success story.
BPSOs are uniquely positioned to support health system transformation because they are experienced at providing better, more co-ordinated and authentic patient-centred care. Through their commitment to evidence-based practice, and the rigourous requirements of the BPSO designation, BPSOs have: prioritized the patientcare experience; engaged staff, partners and communities; demonstrated leadership at all levels; participated in performance measurement; and utilized the results to support processes for ongoing quality improvement and continuous learning.
RNAO is committed to providing BPSOs with all the supports they need to become a part of OHTs, and to share their strength and knowledge in a way that will ensure these teams are a success story. This commitment is vital because, at the end of the day, the success of OHTs depends as much on the government’s vision and funding as on individual providers’ and organizations’ commitment to make them a success. RNAO has already rolled up its sleeves to make Ontario shine. Ontarians deserve nothing less.
The next stage for OHTs will be for those successful organizations – selected by the provincial government to proceed to the full application phase – to submit a comprehensive and detailed plan. The province will announce the OHT early adopters in the fall, and we will keep members informed along the way.
RNAO has already hosted two webinars, with more planned. In May, more than 100 chief nurse executives and chief nursing officers attended the first webinar to learn the best ways for nurse executives to be fully engaged in the health system transformation process, and specifically on OHTs. In June, a second and equally vibrant group of nurse executives and NPs gathered to ensure we collectively keep our finger on the pulse of this ongoing work. The conversation
was dynamic and the request for additional webinars was unanimous. That’s why we are hosting two more webinars July 23 and Aug. 9, which will be open to all members.
There’s tremendous excitement for the changes on the horizon. For a long time, I haven’t seen the level of engagement and cross-organizational interactions I am seeing with this initiative. And that bodes well for Ontarians when our end goal with OHTs is to form intersectoral teams that will wrap around services specific to the needs of each person.
If all goes well, health-care professionals and organizations will be able to say they have broken the habit of working in silos, and have begun to work more effectively in teams.
On this topic of habits, I want to remind you that this is your last hard copy issue of Registered Nurse Journal. Going forward, your professional publication will be digital and will become more and more interactive as we build on the platform and hear from members about what works and what doesn’t work online. This is a change for many of us, including me. I often like to have everything in hard copy, even though I am a passionate environmentalist.
Interestingly enough, I don’t think this shift will be a difficult one for me in terms of breaking old habits. In fact, I find myself going more and more to my Blackberry (yes, I am still loyal to Blackberry) for my news and updates. I’m sure many of you will enjoy reading RNJ even more now that it’s digital. If there are specific features you like, create a folder with your own RNJ library for reference in the years to come. I know I will be doing that.