Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I mentioned in my statement that the Auditor General had some concerns with some of the operations of the department, and particularly I highlighted the concerns that the Auditor General had with the lack of performance indicators and performance agreements between the department and the various health authorities.
I’d like to ask the Minister, in response to the Auditor General’s report, what is the department doing to address the Auditor General’s concerns about the lack of performance indicators and performance agreements.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the understated language of the Auditor General, the report that we received from Sheila Fraser is a Gold Medal Performance Report. I am so proud of the way she recognized the great work that we are doing. She’s told us that the Foundation for Change Action Plan lays out clear direction and goals and action plans to the authorities. She’s also indicated that we consult regularly and well with the authorities and it is due to the management and the staff of the department and the front-line authorities that we were able to achieve such a glowing report from the Auditor General.
I’d like to thank the Minister for telling me again what I already know. My question had to do with what actions the department is going to take going forward. There were some concerns on the part of the Auditor General. There were a number of things that were pointed out. I didn’t hear any answer to my question.
In any organization when the devolvement of a program or a service is given to a subsidiary organization, there needs to be some kind of monitoring. There needs to be some kind of an agreement to monitor performance. To the Minister: what is the department doing to deal with the Auditor General’s concern that we have no performance agreements with our health authorities and that, therefore, there are no performance indicators so that we can measure them?
It’s good to know that the Member agrees that we’re doing a good job, I just never heard her saying that. On page 11 of the Auditor General’s report, paragraph 29, the Auditor General said, “We found that contribution agreements between the department and the authorities included basic financial terms and conditions and corresponding reporting requirements. Current agreements specify that authorities shall use their contribution funds for categories of expenditures, including hospital services, physician services, medical equipment…” Basically the Auditor General is saying that our financial contribution agreements do talk about performance indicators, it lays out what they’re supposed to do, that we keep close contact, that we follow up with them. In fact, she also said in reviewing the strategic plans of the three authorities in comparison with the Foundation for Change Action Plan, that we are very, very closely allied in terms of getting the clear direction, looking at the programs they’re providing, and that overall we’re doing a really, really great job.
As an extra point, the Auditor General indicated that we could strengthen that, but she also recognized the fact that we have contribution agreements is a great start and that we are on our way.
I struggle to get my point across. “Performance” is spelled P-E-R-F-O-R-M-A-N-C-E. “Contribution” is spelled C-O-N-T-R-I- et cetera. If the Minister wants to quote from the Auditor General’s report, I can do that as well.
The Auditor General said, “…yet to implement certain other actions that could improve the health care system. These include establishing performance indicators, working with health and social service authorities to develop performance agreements that set out results to be achieved with funds…” and then she goes on to another item. I ask the Minister -- again, I’m not talking about contribution agreements, I’m not talking about the funding, I’m talking about the evaluation of the authorities -- are they delivering the programs and services in the manner that the Department of Health expects them to. When will we see action on that? Thank you.
We have responded to all of the recommendations from the Auditor General. We accept those recommendations and we take that as on top as a pat on the back, these are the things that you could do to do even better. I just need to make that point clear, because our department and our staff and the management all across the Territories are working so hard to get the evaluation that we received from the Auditor General.
Mr. Speaker, on paragraph 24 of the Auditor General’s report she says, “Finally...” in the contribution agreement “they identify some performance indicators to assess the success of their activities. The plans are consistent with discussions of the Joint Senior Management Committee and reflect the intention on the part of all parties for greater system thinking.”
Mr. Speaker, I just say that, again, the Member can choose to read what is not there and what we are not doing and always looking at the glass as half empty, but I just want to say that the Auditor General told us that the financial contribution agreements do include performance indicators, that we are working very closely with the authorities, that we do a good job following up with them, and that the next step to get even better is to follow up on her recommendations, and we have accepted them. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Your final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to direct the Minister’s attention to a recommendation which comes in paragraph 31, the second part of which says, “develop performance agreements that include expected results for key programs and services, and corresponding reporting requirements.” Those are the words from the Auditor General in her report.
I’d like to ask the Minister, on another note, the Auditor General also mentions in her report that there’s no formal mechanism to monitor compliance with the GNWT’s Medical Travel Policy or to assess the program performance of the Medical Travel Program. I’d like to ask the Minister how that is being addressed.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to answer by reading her the department’s response to the AG’s recommendation on developing performance agreements. We stated that we agree improving governance and accountability to ensure that delivery of quality programs and services and consistent financial management is a priority in the Foundation for Change, which the Auditor General likes. “The Department of Health and Social Services system action plan for 2009-12 key actions identified under this priority include the implementation of a new funding methodology and development of performance and service agreements with the health and social services authorities.” The Member knows, as she is a member of the Standing Committee on Social Programs, that we are working very hard to do the right size and right budget for all of the authorities.
Mr. Speaker, we’re on our way. We accept the Auditor General’s recommendation and we also accept the pat on the back we received. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
