Update on the implementation of the Patients First Act

Update on the implementation of the Patients First Act

OPSEU / SEFPO flag
OPSEU / SEFPO flag
  • March 1, 2017 - 1:51 pm
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To: Members, OPSEU Sector 17, Community Health Care Professionals

From: Lucy Morton, sector chair

On February 22, 2017, I and other OPSEU representatives met with Tim Hadwen, Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) in the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), to get an overview on the ministry's progress in implementing health system changes following the passage of the Patients First Act, 2016.

The meeting included representatives from five unions – OPSEU, COPE, Unifor, CUPE, and ONA. Also in attendance were Jane Corbet, Chief Human Resources Officer for the Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres (OACCAC), and Scott McLeod, CEO of the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN). Additional staff from the ministry were also present.

Please click here to view the document entitled Background and Implementation of Patients First Act, 2016. This is the presentation ADM Hadwen provided and subsequently used as a guide for the discussion that followed.

In addition to the information in the slide deck, I'd like to draw your attention to the following concerns that were addressed during the presentation.

  1. ALL CCAC staff will be transitioned to the LHINs as an employer between May 1, 2017 and September 2017 (please see page 7). The transition will be a staggered process. CCAC employees will receive a "welcome package" from the LHIN that outlines some of the policy guidelines, the effective date of transfer, and a guarantee that present collective agreements will be maintained.
     
  2. Currently, a consultant is conducting an assessment of "LHIN readiness" and reporting all progress to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The readiness assessment looks at the LHINs' readiness to undergo the transition at all levels of planning — the proverbial "soup to nuts."
     
  3. Effective March 1, 2017, the OACCAC will merge into its new identity as the Health Shared Services Organization (HSSO). The functions and responsibility of the new HSSO are outlined on page 8 of the presentation.
     
  4. Any human resources or labour relations issues should continue to be handled at the local level with the appropriate CCAC Executive. LHIN CEOs may be reaching out to local unions and local bargaining agents as they will be assuming the role of employer post transition.
     
  5. The new executive organizational charts of the LHINs have been approved by the MOHLTC and are available by contacting your local CCAC representative.
     
  6. There are no current plans to change the care coordination model, as noted on page 11.
     
  7. Through the transition, there is no intention to move IT positions out of the local agencies, as indicated on page 12.

There was also a webinar held February 27, which was co-hosted by Dr. Bob Bell, Deputy Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and Nancy Naylor, Associate Deputy Minister, Delivery and Implementation, to provide a public update on the implementation process. To view the webinar (archived) which includes a question and answer period, visit the link here: www.vvcnetwork.ca/moh/20170227. 

I will continue to be in touch with updates leading up to, and through transition.

In solidarity,

Lucy Morton