The Health Human Resources Cornerstone of the Patient Wait Times Guarantee

Speech
for
The Honourable Tony Clement
Minister of Health
And
Minister Responsible for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario 

at

an event concerning the Health Human Resources Cornerstone of the Patient Wait Times Guarantee

London , Ontario
April 13, 2006

Check Against Delivery

Introduction

Thank you, Dr. Chris Schlacta, for your kind introduction and to Dr. Kellie Leitch- both of whom are fellow University of Toronto alumni. It's a pleasure to be here today.

It is remarkable to see these cutting-edge facilities, and I'd like to thank Dr. Kellie Leitch, Dr. Chris Schlacta, Dr. John Deustedt and Dean Carole Herbert for taking me on a tour through the facility and for their warm welcome here this morning.

I recall from my days as provincial Health Minister how well-known London is as a centre of expertise - in both health care and professional education - and what a model of integration and forward thinking this city continues to be.

I've always said that the true innovations in health care come from the front lines. The management and staff here at the University Hospital are actively involved in initiatives that are bringing about change to how Canada organizes and delivers health care.

This new CSTAR lab is not just revolutionizing patient care - it's also the first interdisciplinary research and training facility in the world to bring together practitioners, students and researchers in surgery, engineering, imagery, robotics, information technology and business. This is my first visit to the CSAT Lab and I look forward to a demonstration of the lab's capabilities with Dr. Schlacta shortly.

With over 8,000 professionals, the London Health Sciences Centre is rated among the top academic health centres in Canada , known nationally as a leader and innovator.

Through your work on the front lines, you have helped us monitor the pulse of the health care system, and advocated for long-term solutions to systemic problems. Your constructive approaches to issues such as patient wait times and health human resource shortages have pointed the way forward.

Five priorities

Our government is moving forward on its commitment outlined in the Speech from the Throne. It is centred on five priorities that Prime Minister Stephen Harper set out during the election - five priorities that have been our focus since forming government. One of which is the issue of patient wait times guarantee in our health care system.

As Health Minister, one of my primary responsibilities is ensuring that Canadians receive the health care they need and deserve. Too often, Canadians find themselves waiting too long for critical procedures, with no alternative but to wait even longer, often in pain or discomfort, and at some risk to their health. They want - and deserve - certainty that they will receive the care they need - when they need it, wherever they live and regardless of ability to pay.

We made a commitment to improve the quality of health care in this country. We will honour that commitment to Canadians.

The Guarantee

We will work with provincial and territorial governments to develop a patient wait times guarantee for medically necessary services. We will ensure that all Canadians receive medically necessary services within clinically acceptable wait times.

This guarantee will let patients know how soon they can expect to receive care, and what to do if their wait becomes excessive. It also brings a new level of healthcare accountability, ensuring that patients will always receive timely medical treatment.

Since becoming Minister of Health, I have discussed wait times with my provincial and territorial counterparts, with health care representatives and other organizations whose members are on the front lines of health care delivery in Canada . In my discussions with these groups, it became evident that a patient wait time guarantee is a priority we share.

Ministers of Health have already agreed on an initial set of ten common benchmarks - or common goals for provision of medical treatments and screening services - in key elective areas for cancer screening and care, cardiac surgery, hip and knee replacements, and cataracts.

In addition, our Government is ensuring the funding needed for action. Canadians, through their governments, have already made significant investments in the system. We are on a track to put an additional $41 billion over ten years into the health care system, as proposed in the 2004 Health Accord.

To live up to the commitment of wait times our Government will make some fundamental changes in our health system - based on four key cornerstones.

• Research;
• Technology;
• Improved collaboration between jurisdictions; and
• Health human resources, which is what I want to focus on today.

Health Human Resources

As a former provincial Health Minister, I recognize how labour-intensive health care is. The statistics speak volumes: the health sector accounts for approximately 10 per cent of the overall workforce in Canada , and employs over 1.5 million Canadians.

With changing demographics and increasing prevalence of chronic disease and other issues on the horizon, concerns are certainly mounting. There is a growing body of evidence highlighting serious current and impending shortages in the supply of health care providers. It is of vital importance that we take action now to avert shortages in the future.

This is why one of the key cornerstones of change in our health system is to address health human resources issues.

We will work with the provinces and territories to increase the numbers of, and expand educational programs for doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, to make sure that Canada has the most effective supply and distribution of skilled people to fill the many roles that our health system needs to meet our health care priorities.

We've seen recent increases in the number of student placements in medical schools and we have seen considerable growth in the numbers of provincially funded openings for post-medical school education in our teaching hospitals and similar facilities.

Changing the way we educate health care professionals to work together, share responsibility and collaborate is key to increasing access to health care services - and, by extension, reducing wait times.

Health Canada 's Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Patient-Centred Practice Initiative is assisting health professionals to attain the necessary skills and knowledge to work effectively in collaborative team practice.

I'm pleased to acknowledge a key advisor on this, Dr. Carole Herbert - co-chair of our National Expert Committee on the initiative - who is here with us today.

Nurses and other health care professionals provide care before, during, and after all care. The number of nurses is increasing. The Nurse Practitioner role is being enhanced, which helps to improve access to health care. We're seeing better workforce planning, as well as investment in promoting healthier, more stable workplace environments.

Conclusion

I believe the way forward will likely involve changes for the whole spectrum of health care professionals. It will require exploration of opportunities for new and emerging health care professions, such as physician assistants, and strengthening the profile and distribution of nurse practitioners.

Just as importantly, it will require changing how health professionals learn together, work together, share responsibility and collaborate in interprofessional teams.

I am honoured to have the chance to work with my colleagues in the provinces and territories and with the leaders and health care professionals here today. We'll work together towards making the transition from thought to action. Canadians are counting on all of us to improve the foundation and build a better health care system for all.

Thank you.