A vision for the future in VCH Richmond

Thank you to all who attended one of our four All Staff Forums, held across Richmond over the past few weeks. I know some find it difficult to attend staff meetings due to patient care demands and scheduling conflicts. I hope the following helps if you couldn’t make it to one of the sessions in person.

Why do we need to change?

Richmond is the fourth fastest growing city in BC with the fastest growing senior’s population (75+) in the province. The 75+ age group will increase by 75% over the next 10 years. To continue to provide high quality care to all who come through our doors, and in keeping with our philosophy of Home is Best, the past year’s work has resulted in development of a three-pronged Seniors’ Strategy that will focus on those ages 70+to:

1. Keep people healthier and in their own homes longer.
2. Return people to home quickly when medical intervention is required.
3. Allow seniors to access residential care quickly when it’s needed

Strategy #1 – Creation of Primary Health Homes

Our goal is to rebalance the system of care such that 80% of the care any client needs is available through the Primary Health Home.  A Primary Health Home (PHH) is the place a seniors comes to see their doctor, but it’s also the place from which their multi-disciplinary care – and access to community-based services — is co-ordinated. We are currently working in partnership with the Richmond Division of Family Practice to launch the PHH care model in two Richmond neighbourhoods. More news about this project will be forthcoming later this fall.

Strategy #2 – Improved patient flow

Even with access to a Primary Health Home, we know that seniors will continue to come to Richmond Hospital, mainly through the ED.  When they arrive, it becomes our job to determine quickly and thoroughly whether they need hospital admission or can continue to thrive in their own homes with support.

Key to this strategy is EDiCARE and our Quick Response Team (QRT):

• ED iCARE is a standardized assessment and care-planning methodology that reduces delays, eliminates barriers to discharge and ensures a safe transition home for the patient.
• QRT is a multidisciplinary team that makes same-day visits to discharged patients’ homes to ensure they have access to the community supports and services required to safely remain at home.

 Strategy #3 – Growing Home & Community Care

If we are returning more people to their own homes, we must have supports in place to keep them there safely. To this end, we are:

• Expanding our Community Care Clinic – quadrupled the services we can provide – from 1 to 4 treatment rooms and from 1 to 4 IV chairs.
• Redesigning Home Support – Our new care model means we can now provide flexible service hours in the morning, weekend and evening hours. We were limited previously in our ability to do this.
• Expanding our Adult Day Program – we are in the process of doubling the number of adult day program spaces in Richmond; from 20-25 spaces-per-day to 45-50 spaces-per-day.

 Improved Residential Care beds

To address Richmond’s needs for beds, our recently completed Request for Qualifications and Solutions (RFQS) will bring 210 net new beds to Richmond, including:

• A new 135-bed facility in Hamilton, in East Richmond, is anticipated by 2019.
• 75 beds in a renovated/expanded facility will be available by 2020 at Fraserview.

We are also putting the final touches on the Business Case for the rebuild of Richmond Lions Manor. We will be seeking VCH Senior Executive Team approval for this project in July. When complete, likely in 2020/21, RLM will provide approximately 144 additional beds in Richmond.

To see us through the time until these new beds come on stream, we are also purchasing 75 net new residential care beds in neighboring communities over the next two years to address immediate need. While all these beds are good news, Richmond will continue to be challenged by the fact that it still has too few beds available to it to meet future demand through 2030.

 A new patient care tower

Richmond Hospital’s North Tower is 50 years old and is showing its age. That’s why everyone was thrilled on June 2 when the province announced that it would be moving forward with Concept Plan development for the site.  After Concept Planning – estimated to last a year — we will embark on Business Case development which will entail another year or two of more detailed work and planning.

 Thank you for all that you do

All this good work doesn’t happen without people. I am so, so proud of the results that we’re achieving as a community in our quality improvement work. You are all doing a tremendous job across the Community of Care to provide care to the growing volumes of patients, clients and residents who need your attention every day. And while the work of Public and Environmental Health isn’t immediately visible in our Seniors’ Strategy, it is the work you all do that build a foundation of good health for our residents. The importance of these services and programs must never be overlooked.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our patient, residents and clients!

– Jennifer