Delegates from 38 long-term care homes in the North East LHIN gathered Jan. 26 for a Residents First Quality Leadership Session.

North East LHIN engages LTC homes in Residents First Quality Leadership session
Event explored laying the foundation for quality improvement
Tuesday February 8, 2011 -- Jennifer Neutel
The North East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) hosted its Residents First Quality Leadership session Jan. 26 in Sudbury, convening 90 delegates from 38 of the region’s long-term care homes in conversation about quality improvement.

Leading Quality is one of four learning streams of the Residents First initiative, a partnership driven by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care with the goal of advancing quality in the province’s long-term care homes.

LHINs are leading the initiative’s implementation at the local level, with training delivered through Ontario Health Quality Council (OHQC) experts.

The Quality Leadership session is the first of three LHIN events following the Residents First Leading Quality kick-off event in September 2010.

Michel O’Connor, consultant and long-term care lead for the North East LHIN, says the day aimed to help delegates gain an enhanced appreciation of quality improvement and the tools that are available as they proceed through the leading quality stream of the initiative.

“The purpose is really looking at what are the tools in the five leading improvement areas that are part of the long-term care world right now, and how can they be involved in supporting QI — quality improvement — within their home,” says O’Connor.

He says an exciting aspect of the day was the turnout, with representatives attending from 38 of the 41 long-term care homes in the area. Attendees included directors of care, administrators, board members and front-line staff members.

Monique Mechefske, senior director of integration, French language services and aboriginal services, welcomed the attendees (click here to view the video).

“There’s a need to facilitate sustainable quality improvement or QI, as we call it,” Mechefske told delegates.

“To see so many QI teams gathered here today leads us to believe that the long-term care sector is a leader and that you are the influence that will translate to effective change within the system.”

The theme of the day was laying the foundation, and looking at some of the methodologies around quality improvement.

Topics covered throughout the day explored consistency in personal support worker assignments, the challenge of urinary incontinence, reducing emergency department visits, falls prevention, and preventing pressure ulcers.

O’Connor says an intended outcome from the event was attaching the topic of QI as a natural part of operations — more than just at the strategic level.

He says QI filters through the health-care system and the long-term care sector, and the session aimed to have people internalize and grab onto QI and start embedding it into their home operations.

He notes this intention relates back to the vision statement of Residents First, “That each resident enjoys safe, effective and responsive care to help them achieve the highest potential quality of life.”

Feedback from participants included interest in individual follow-ups to discuss their own home’s operations and the desire to see more training offered to QI leads within the homes.

The OHQC, in partnership with the LHINs, will ensure there is at least one quality improvement facilitator available on a full-time basis for homes to work with individually. O’Connor says this position will be filled soon and is a 15-month engagement.

To learn more about the Residents First initiative, click here.

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