Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to read this statement on behalf of the Minister of Health and Social Services who is currently attending to a personal matter.
This Assembly has heard repeatedly that the cost of delivering health and social services programs are rising and that sustainability and funding are a continued and growing issue for all jurisdictions.
We all know that the delivery of health and social services is complex. The system and the people that work within it must consistently respond appropriately to and balance the needs of individuals, families, communities and the overall population against the resources available.
Mr. Speaker, the people of the Northwest Territories receive excellent health and social services. We continue to provide a range of programs and services either close to home or through medical travel. However, we must strive for better services, greater efficiencies, and make appropriate use of new technologies to improve our services.
Our health and social services system is challenged by issues that other jurisdictions do not even contemplate. We have worked hard to meet these challenges and build on our successes to improve the quality of services to people, families, communities, and strengthen our health and social services system to achieve efficiencies. Some of the successes achieved over the past four years under the Foundation for Change include:
adding telehealth sites across 29 communities. The final seven telehealth units have been installed and will go live by this fall. Telehealth is one of our HealthNet solutions.
the successful management of the first pandemic flu outbreak in decades. Our joint GNWT response received a Premiers Award, as well as being the envy of other jurisdictions.
reducing our reliance on agency nurses. We have a float pool of NWT nurses and are hiring as many Northwest Territories nursing graduates as our system can absorb.
moving to a team-based, client-focused approach. This approach ensures people across the Northwest Territories will have better services and more equitable access. We’re also looking at finding ways to incorporate virtual teams to better support clients and staff in communities. This is consistent with our Integrated Service Delivery Model.
Mr. Speaker, in an effort to build on our work done to date, a renewed strategic plan has been developed. This plan clearly lays out the key goals, objectives and actions the health and social services system will follow to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of health and social services.
We have worked closely with the Joint Leadership Council and the CEOs from the Health and Social Services Authority, and we appreciate their valuable input into the design of a new 2011-2016 strategic plan for the health and social Services system.
Later today the Minister of Health and Social Services will table the 2011-2016 Strategic Plan: Building on Our Foundation.
This strategic plan builds on actions established under A Foundation for Change and our commitment to improve the health and well-being of all Northerners. Leadership and commitment to achieve the goals of the plan comes from the Minister and the Joint Leadership Council who are the stewards of the system.
Mr. Speaker, one of our top priorities will be to strengthen the primary community care system by ensuring community providers are making progress on managing chronic conditions in the community and also by integrating mental health and addiction services into existing community services and the larger health system.
Providing services to remote communities requires a medical travel system that provides people with access to appropriate services not available in their community and acts as an air ambulance in emergencies. This is a significant cost driver to the system and we all need to ensure it is used properly. This requires both system and user responsibility. The plan will identify ways to improve the system to ensure patients receive appropriate services in an efficient and effective manner.
Mr. Speaker, new technologies such as telehealth, digital imaging and picture archiving systems and an on-line patient’s record system will also assist in strengthening our service delivery. All of these initiatives are intended to provide a higher quality service while reducing the overall system cost.
We have also been challenged to ensure we have the right staff in place to provide services. We now have trained northern nurses, social workers, home care workers, mental health workers and other allied health professionals. We must continue to train Northerners and encourage our youth to enter into health and social services careers. We face the ongoing challenge of provider shortages in a global market and all of us need to ensure a safe and desirable work place for health care and social services staff.
This strategic plan will be our roadmap for the next five years. It provides high-level actions that will be supported through the annual business plan and budget cycle, and includes actions, deliverables and targets that hold the Minister, the Joint Leadership Council, and every person in the health and social services system accountable to deliver.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that change cannot happen quickly. In some instances it will take years to see the effects of these changes. Government alone cannot improve health and social outcomes. We all have a role to play when it comes to our health and wellness. This includes accepting responsibility as individuals for maintaining our own good health through actions like proper diet and exercise or by stopping smoking and excessive use of alcohol.
The next few years are sure to bring significant challenges to the process of service delivery. We have every confidence that we can respond to these challenges and continue to provide quality health care and social services consistent with GNWT priorities and the needs of the population.
The health and social services system is also facing significant capital and operations needs that will continue to represent the largest part of the GNWT budget. Health care costs are continuing to increase and there are concerns about the long-term sustainability of health care systems across Canada, including the Northwest Territories.
The 17th Legislative Assembly will be faced with significant real and immediate fiscal pressures for the NWT health and social services system. Some are non-controllable -- external price/volume pressures -- some are the result of policy decisions and public demand and expectations. Adding to those pressures, the lifespan of most of our health and social services facilities is running its course.
As a result, our current and future capital needs for hospitals and health centres will more than likely outstrip our capital resources and yet are a necessity.
However, planning in response to these fiscal challenges provides an opportunity for innovation and collaboration. Today’s announcement by Prime Minister Harper to extend the Territorial Health Systems Sustainability Initiative funding to Canada’s territories is a welcome first step.
The road ahead, as outlined in this strategic plan, Building on our Foundation, will require innovation, flexibility, adaption and continued support for change and for making the best use of our limited resources. This is our commitment and we invite all Northerners to join us in building healthy communities and a healthy Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, Mr. Robert McLeod.
