A key principle of OHT implementation is our commitment to ensuring services are not disrupted. In Year 1 and beyond, all services offered by G&A OHT core partners will be delivered with the same commitments to client-centred care and clinical quality that we have always upheld. Existing accountability agreements (HSAA, LSAA, etc.) and organizational quality and accountability structures (Board, Quality Committee of the Board etc) will be upheld and current regional programs and services (e.g. central access mechanisms) will remain in place and operational.
G&A OHT partners will maintain services at current levels as opportunities to integrate are explored. These integration opportunities will include both corporate and clinical functions. A pillar of our year 1 approach is to bring teams functionally and physically together so that they can both build trust and start to envision how their functions might be more effectively and efficiently delivered. This change management approach ensures that transitions to integrated teams is done in a controlled manner, ensuring stable service delivery that will evolve towards the mature state as informed by the front line staff.
To ensure front line staff and other staff are able to be involved in/contribute to implementation without reducing front line capacity, core partners will be intentional about distributing involvement across organizations.
For example, the following commitments have been made:
- Stonehenge Therapeutic Community is committed to maintaining specialist care within our regional and provincial programming in a manner that aligns with OHT developments across the region while ensuring that access to essential services (i.e. Community Withdrawal Support Services) is not disrupted or lost during this time of transformation.
- CMHAWW, will have some of their adult services staff and teams directly engaged in Year 1 deliverables. CMHAWW also provides a full continuum of services to children, youth, seniors, specialized populations like Eating Disorders and Early Psychosis that will not be directly engaged in Year 1 deliverables. However, some of the benefits that we expect to see as a result of implementing the Year 1 deliverables will be felt and experienced by ALL services at CMHAWW including strengthened relationships and communication with Primary Care Partners, increased use of innovative digital health tools, and better access to their own personal health information.
- Activities amongst partners to continue to improve access and quality of care for patients who are not part of the Year 1 population will continue (e.g. SJHCG and GGH working together to streamline access and improve quality for bundled total join replacement (TJR) Hip/Knee)
- Guelph CHC: Aligning with our model of care and health equity focus, Guelph CHC team members anticipate the capacity to actively participate in the service integration models being tested, and will also play key leadership roles to spread our innovative practices across the OHT. Again, through these opportunities, the Guelph CHC expects that care, deliverables and accountabilities will be enhanced and strengthened.