Progress on emergency, mental health and addiction services review
Last year, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and Providence Health Care (PHC) requested an independent, external review of our emergency departments and mental health & addiction services. The review examined how we currently provide care for people with mental health and substance misuse concerns.
The reviewers shared 22 recommendations to strengthen the care we provide. Work is underway to address some of the recommendations, while others will take more time.
Our first progress report, available online, outlines the work of four task groups:
- Multi-sectoral communication task group: Strengthening collaboration, integration and coordination of services between agencies
- Inter-sectoral communication task group: Improving the management, confidentiality and sharing of patient information
- Resources and services task group: Strengthening alignment of our services with patient needs and volume
- Model of care task group: Standardizing mental health patient care in the emergency departments
Already the work has brought together many different people from across the health care system with our community partners. A recent planning session – including health authority clinicians and staff and representatives from key partner agencies including VPD, RCMP, BC Ambulance Service, BC Schizophrenia Society as well as patients and families – identified barriers when trying to work together, as well as the work currently underway to address these barriers.
VCH and PHC offer a wide range of services for people with mental health and substance abuse needs. We have some of the world’s best professionals, researchers and care staff and provide care for hundreds of thousands of patients every year. But we recognize there are always opportunities to improve care.
Read the progress report
Visit our website for the full progress report.