Stories of
Best Care
in Action
S T R AT E G Y S T O R I E S
Patients
People
Sustainability
Research, Innovation
& Learning
We’re working in a rapidly changing
healthcare environment. In order to navigate
that change and achieve our vision of Best
Care for All, Hamilton Health Sciences
needs a clear and focused strategic plan.
We developed this strategic plan to be our
North Star. It will help guide our decisions
about how we invest our time and resource,
and it is based on input from our staff,
physicians and community partners.
Our strategic plan focuses on four goals:
Patients
People
Sustainability
Research, Innovation
& Learning
These four goals are compass points of
our plan. Each goal has three objectives to
direct our attention and energy. There are
also a series of initiatives outlining the work
we will do to meet our objectives this year.
This strategic plan will help us move
forward with confidence, together.
Best Care
For All
“The care here is a gift
– it is so thoughtful,
so seamless.”
BEST CARE IS…
To Deliver on Our Mission at
all Stages of a Patient’s Journey
Having a friendly shoulder to lean on for support can make you feel comfortable
and safe, especially when you are only four years old and fighting a blood cancer.
Having a friendly shoulder to lean
on for support can make you feel
comfortable and safe, especially
when you are only four years old
and fighting a blood cancer.
Evan, who travels more than 100 kms
weekly to McMaster Children’s
Hospital (MCH) for his chemotherapy,
starts every journey with a simple
question to his mom Maggie, “Is
Nate going to be there today?”
Nate is a Child Life Specialist with
Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS).
Over several months, Evan and
Nate have developed a special
bond. Nate’s shoulder has come to
represent a symbol of strength and
compassion for Evan, his family and
his community — everything that’s
required to care for even the bravest
of patients. Maggie calls Nate, and
the oncology team, a “beacon of
light and hope” that has helped their
family move from intense moments
to stable and more normal times.
It’s Nate’s mission to help Evan
and his family cope with the fear
and anxiety of treatment and
to understand what comes with
his care. That’s why in a busy
room of colourful artwork and
toys, you will find Nate teaching
Evan about his treatment by
conducting “medical play.”
With a doll, Nate explains each step
of treatment to Evan and his family,
and involves Evan in his own care by
using real medical equipment to paint
a picture of treatment, lessen anxiety
and pain, and create a reassuring
and confident environment.
Maggie has high praise for the “team”
treating Evan for the past year-anda-half. “The care here is a gift — it is
so thoughtful, so seamless,” she says.
“It makes you feel 100 times better as
a family knowing that all the leading
resources are here if you need them.”
For Evan, who understands he is a
“special kind of sick,” his friendship
with Nate evolved when he began
his weekly clinic visits after an initial
two-month hospital stay. At the
cancer clinic, Nate became a “source
of comfort at a time when there were
a lot of unknowns and our anxiety
as a family was high,” says Maggie.
For Child Life Specialists, a large
part of helping patients and their
families adapt to cancer care is
through education. Nate works with
parents coaching them in how to
talk about cancer, learn about the
disease, develop routines for the
family and manage their own anxiety
so that it doesn’t impact their child.
Now, with six months of treatment
left for Evan, Maggie can’t say
enough about the quality of care
the staff at HHS provides. “They
are not just treating a patient, it’s
a whole family and a community
that are invested in the future of
your little one,” she says. “Child
Life Specialists like Nate have a gift
— it’s different from doctors and
nurses — but equally as important
to the success of a family.”
H A M I LTO N H E A LT H S C I E N C E S
S T R AT E G Y S TO R I E S
Patients
Our goal is
to provide an
excellent patient
and family
experience
every time.
Drivers:
Always deliver
compassionate care
that respects the needs
and values of our
patients and families
ontinuously refine
C
care delivery to raise
quality, improve safety
and enhance value
nsure seamless and
E
timely transitions in a
welcoming environment
for HHS patients
5
BEST CARE IS…
Empowering Our People
to Deliver Our Mission
Delivering best practices and care are always under the microscope at Hamilton Health
Sciences (HHS) and Dr. Alison Fox-Robichaud is focused on leading and creating a
culture of education and evidence-informed practice throughout the organization.
adds. “We want our staff to be
empowered to provide their full
scope of expertise and training.”
Today, she not only trains staff and
medical students, but also inspires
and empowers inter-professional
healthcare teams to identify and
create innovative solutions to
improve patient outcomes.
Dr. Fox-Robichaud also looks to
align patient care priorities with
HHS research efforts to implement
strategies for optimal care. This
focus has led to unique initiatives
that are benefiting the community
at large, and is leading the way in
healthcare delivery nationally.
“As individuals and teams in
healthcare, we are called upon
each and every day to bring our
best to deliver outstanding care
in a compassionate way. HHS is
committed to life-long learning that
will cultivate empowered decision
making and collaboration, while
developing a new generation of
leaders,” says Dr. Fox-Robichaud.
This commitment led HHS to launch
the Centre for People Development to
provide staff with learning experiences
that bring global ideas, best practices
and evidence-informed care
together. Now, integrated healthcare
teams can enhance skills, expand
perspectives and knowledge, and
nurture their spirit and compassion.
Education efforts are also being
aligned with the LEADS in a Caring
Environment (LEADS) framework,
a program that helps to build the
future of health leadership, at all
levels, in Canada. A key foundation
for the LEADs framework is
caring for patients, for staff, and
for the health of citizens. Caring
leaders maximize the potential for
universal, efficient and effective
service delivery to all Canadians.
“By strengthening our individual and
collective abilities to deliver on our
vision, Best Care for All, we know
that the quality, compassion-based
care we provide now, and in the
future, is at its best,” Dr. Fox‑Robichaud
6
People
For example, surgical residents have
adapted a U.K.-based early warning
scorecard to meet the needs of
Hamilton hospitals. The Hamilton Early
Warning Scorecard (HEWS) alerts
healthcare professionals to patients
who may be at risk of diminishing
health, prior to admitting a patient
to the intensive care unit, or to
prevent readmission to the unit.
HEWS is now taking another leap
forward as it is implemented to
address the impact of sepsis — lifethreatening organ dysfunction due
to infection — in the critical care
setting. “The program allows any
member of a patient’s medical or
bedside team to recognize the
early signs of sepsis before it sets
in and becomes more complex and
lethal,” says Dr. Fox-Robichaud.
Drivers:
nsure a healthy and
E
safe workplace
“Between professional training,
integrated team building, and priority
research, HHS is empowering the
leadership of staff to ensure a safe,
efficient and high-level of proactive
care throughout a patient’s hospital
stay,” says Dr. Fox-Robichaud. “We
want all patients to leave one of
our hospitals knowing they were
well looked after and were always
in the best of caring hands.”
H A M I LTO N H E A LT H S C I E N C E S
Our goal is
to engage,
empower
and enable
our people
to deliver on
our mission.
evelop and
D
support our people
Cultivate empowered
decision making
and collaboration
S T R AT E G Y S TO R I E S
“We want our staff to be
empowered to provide
their full scope of
expertise and training.”
“It’s a winning feeling to know that
everyone on my health care team,
throughout the community, is
committed to my best health.”
BEST CARE IS…
Building a Team of Community
Partners to Achieve Wellness
An avid soccer player and sports enthusiast, Dave is embracing the
“team” approach to his recovery after suffering a heart attack.
Thanks to a unique community
partnership between Hamilton
Health Sciences (HHS), McMaster
University and the YMCA, Dave
benefits from receiving the right
care delivered in the right place
at the right time in his life.
Dave has high praise for the surgical
and medical teams at the Hamilton
General Hospital that acted quickly
to diagnose his condition after
experiencing a nagging “ache” in
his chest. Not long after he was
admitted, Dave had double-bypass
surgery and was home in four days.
After several weeks of recovery
and rehabilitation, Dave was ready
to add more members to his
team and continue to achieve his
wellness goals through HHS and the
YMCA’s Healthy Hearts program.
Healthy Hearts is an exercise and
education program designed
for people who have completed
their rehabilitation program at
the hospital, or who are at risk of
developing heart disease and are
looking for support in prevention. It’s
just one of a number of communitybased rehabilitation “LiveWell”
programs offered at the YMCA
for recovering HHS patients.
Upon a doctor’s referral, each
participant works with a specially
trained YMCA Wellness Coach who
designs a fitness program based on
individual health and fitness needs.
“The programs we offer in
partnership with HHS are a wonderful
opportunity for patients to get out,
interact with others who are facing
similar health challenges, gain
confidence and improve their quality
of life by building strength and
endurance,” says Corinne, a LiveWell
Specialist and educator at the YMCA.
For Dave, the transition between
his rehab program in hospital and
Healthy Hearts has been seamless
and convenient. “It’s terrific to have a
program like this in the community,”
he adds. “And it’s comforting to
know that the team is there for you
as long it takes to reach your goals.”
Genevieve, the YMCA’s Senior
Regional Manager of Health and
Fitness, agrees. “We find patients
like to be closer to home in a
community-based program where
there’s a camaraderie and sense
of sharing among participants.”
She says they also experience the
benefits of regular exercise to
help them stay healthy and reduce
any secondary occurrences.
“I enjoy the positive direction and
motivation from staff and other
participants. I’ve made many new
friends since starting the program,”
says Dave. “It’s what keeps people
coming back. My supervised
program is two days a week but
I’m exercising six days a week.”
As he approaches his one-year
anniversary in the Healthy Hearts
program, Dave feels better than
ever. “With regular exercise, my
blood glucose levels are down
and my cholesterol medication
has been cut in half,” he says. “It’s
a winning feeling to know that
everyone on my health care team,
throughout the community, is
committed to my best health.”
H A M I LTO N H E A LT H S C I E N C E S
S T R AT E G Y S TO R I E S
Sustainability
Our goal is
to meet the
healthcare
needs of the
communities we
serve now and
in the future.
Drivers:
artner with our
P
community to ensure
the right care is being
delivered in the right
place at the right time
ransform our practices
T
and processes to
improve performance
Optimize our
revenue streams
9
BEST CARE IS…
Finding the Answers to
Enhance Quality of Life
When geriatrician, Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou talks about her research and work with
seniors at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS), it’s clear that she and her team are looking
at the “bigger picture”, finding ways to enhance and restore one’s quality of life.
“When you treat a 50 year-old with
a heart ailment, you look at their
heart,” she says. “When you treat a
75 year-old who has fallen, you need
to look at the senior and the other
health issues they are dealing with
that have brought them to you.”
It’s this integrated, holistic approach
that drives the GERAS (Geriatric
Education Research in Aging
Sciences) Centre team to focus
on research that addresses HHS
priorities — improving quality of
life, advancing inter-professional
education for healthcare professionals
and developing health promotion
strategies that enhance quality of
life, function and independence
for seniors and their families.
“As Hamilton has one of Canada’s
largest growing populations of seniors,
research is imperative to ensure their
health needs are met, and they live
their best lives,” says Dr. Papaioannou.
Located at St. Peter’s Hospital
(SPH), the GERAS team focuses on
frailty, falls and fractures, dementia
and delirium and end-of-life-care.
“As healthcare professionals, we know
it’s important to help older adults
stay healthy at home and function
independently as long as possible,”
she says. Research by the GERAS
team has led to new guidelines to
prevent fractures in residents of
long-term care facilities, setting out
strategies regarding risk factors,
nutrition, vitamin supplements,
exercise, hip protectors and safety.
10
“Our goal is to help reduce falls
and fall-related injuries, so patients
can have a much improved quality
of life and be able to live safely
and confidently in the community,”
says Dr. Papaioannou.
Partnering with other academic
partners like the University of Waterloo
Aging Centre, Dr. Papaioannou is
excited about the innovative research
being undertaken that will improve the
lives of seniors. She hints at a new tool
being developed that will be able to
predict who is at risk for a fracture in
their later years and will eliminate the
need for bone density tests. “What this
means is that seniors can stay in their
homes to be assessed and it will prove
to be invaluable for frail seniors in
long-term care centres or a homecare
setting.” She says it’s a leading-edge
tool that will be used in Hamilton
and potentially internationally.
While the GERAS Centre partnership
between SPH and McMaster University
has lead to many recognized
successes, Dr. Papaioannou
acknowledges the wonderful
passion of the staff at HHS to bring
research and innovation into the
homes of seniors who benefit the
most. “No matter what stage of the
journey you are on, and despite the
challenges you experience, you can
still live with joy. Ultimately, that is
the goal we strive to achieve.”
H A M I LTO N H E A LT H S C I E N C E S
Research,
Innovation
& Learning
Our goal is to
lead in research,
innovation and
learning for the
benefit of our
community and
the world.
Drivers:
Align research efforts to address HHS priorities
reate a culture of
C
evidence informed care
reate excellent learning
C
environments with our
academic partners
S T R AT E G Y S TO R I E S
“As healthcare professionals,
we know it’s important to help
older adults stay healthy at home
and function independently
as long as possible.”
201 6 -2017
H A M I LTO N H E A LT H S C I E N C E S
S T R AT E G Y S TO R I E S