eptember 6, 2013   |   Volume 17 Issue 34 Merging health regions in NS would be bad idea, report says Merging district health authorities in Nova Scotia would be disruptive and expensive, says a study commissioned by the CUPE workers union. It says centralization has not shown to save money, pointing to the experience of Alberta where health care deficits have grown since health regions were amalgamated i

September 6, 2013   |   Volume 17 Issue 34 Alberta report reveals concerns about home-care contracting process

A report reviewing the contracting of home-care services by Alberta Health Services shows significant concern about the process. The report was prepared by the Vendor Appeal Panel after backlash to the consolidation of home care contracts in order to standardize care and save money.

September 6, 2013   |   Volume 17 Issue 34 Alberta considering ban on private scans

This Friday, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta will debate revised standards of practice which include a proposal to ban private diagnostic imagery.

New study on C. difficile suggests benefits of rapid testing - Union calls on Ontario to lead in development

A major study of 12,000 samples from patients with C. difficile in four  hospitals in the United Kingdom (UK), published in respected medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases this week, suggests there are  benefits of rapid testing for the disease.  The study also points to the lack of accuracy of some of the existing testing procedures.

Caring for Canada’s seniors will take our entire health care workforce

by Nathan Stall, Greta Cummings & Terrence Sullivan (Show all posts by Nathan Stall, Greta Cummings & Terrence Sullivan) September 5, 2013

By contrast, there are approximately 360,000 regulated nurses, 35,000 social workers, 30,000 pharmacists, 17,000 physiotherapists, 13,000 occupational therapists and 10,000 dietitians in Canada, and about 90,000 personal support workers employed in Ontario alone. Improving care for Canadian older adults will undoubtedly require educating and engaging the entire health care workforce.

Join Andrea Horwath, Leader of Ontario's New Democratic Party in a Discussion regarding Current Issues in Provincial Politics October 31, 2013 11:45 am - 1:30 pm The Fairmont Château Laurier 1 Rideau Street, Ottawa Map Location

Second NHS hospital in financial difficulty is put out to tender BMJ 2013; 347 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f5449 (Published 5 September 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f5449

Gareth Iacobucci

A second NHS hospital trust in England could be franchised out to a private company after the government approved plans for an open market tender to source a partner for the George Eliot Hospital in Warwickshire.

Sep 5, 2013

The cost of merging district health boards is likely to outweigh any savings according to a research report commissioned by CUPE hospital workers in Nova Scotia. “Healthcare Restructuring in Nova Scotia” by Barbara Clow, PhD was unveiled at a meeting of CUPE hospital workers in New Glasgow yesterday. The report, which looks at healthcare restructuring across the country, concludes that merging health boards could also lead to reduced services and loss of decision-making in communities.

CBC.CA News Thu Sep 5 2013,

An Edmonton woman says she was left alone on the floor of her seniors residence for nine hours after her home-care worker failed to show up.

Marie Chamberland, 87, who has lung cancer and failing eyesight, lives at Ottewell Seniors Living facility, which is operated by the Greater Edmonton Foundation.

The Edmonton Sun Thu Sep 5 2013

In the right corner, Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith: the official opposition champ with a "powerful right haymaker that will keep taxes down and put Alberta's finances back on track." In the left corner, NDP Leader Brian Mason: a fairness-fighter with "a southpaw that'll knock out giveaways to the wealthy and protect services for all."

Student associations on each campus will host the debates, starting with the U of A's Political Science Undergraduate Association (PSUA). PSUA president Sharon Mvundura said students want to hear about the cuts to post-secondary education. "Especially going back to school, a lot of people are feeling a little hurt in their pockets," said Mvundura. "Hopefully students get some of the answers that they're looking for and hopefully the leaders can give them a better understanding of their views on the cuts." Smith and Mason plan to debate post-secondary issues, health care, energy revenues, government expenses and more.

The federal government has examined setting limits on the number of refugees that Canada takes in with health problems such as trauma from torture.

Staff at Citizenship and Immigration Canada were asked last year to suggest ways to cut down on the number of “high needs” refugees to reduce strain on the health-care system, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.

The cost of the refugee health-care program had climbed to $82.9-million in 2011-12, from $48.3-million in 2006-07, Citizenship and Immigration statistics show.

August 26, 2013 HEU support workers carry out critical roles on the health care team in housekeeping, dietary, laundry, transportation, and in the supply chain.  But these jobs are often invisible to the public and even to other health care workers.  That’s why the HEU Support Workers subcommittee is asking locals to organize a visible event in the workplace to celebrate our colleagues on Support Workers’ Day, August 28.

Up to 20 private hospitals in the UK may have to be sold to increase competition BMJ 2013; 347 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f5347 (Published 30 August 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f5347

Matthew Limb

Many patients pay too much for private health treatment because of the “market power” exercised by big hospital groups, a major investigation by the Competition Commission has found.1

Release of The Safety at Home: A Pan- Canadian Home Care Study 26/06/2013

One out of every six seniors receives home care services in Canada. As the aging population continues to grow there is a greater need to ensure the delivery of Home Care in Canada is safe.  The release today of The Safety at Home: A Pan- Canadian Home Care Study is the first of its kind that examines adverse events in the home and includes recommendations on how to make care safer. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) partnered with other sponsoring organizations for the study including, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Institutes of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR), The Change Foundation, and the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI). The study examined the reasons for harmful incidents, determined the impact on families and clients and made suggestions on how to make home care safer.

Privatizing health care, piece by piece   By Pat Atkinson, The Starphoenix September 4, 2013

Sources say the Wall government is now in serious discussions with business and health regions about contracting out or privatizing all services in our publicly funded health system that do not provide direct patient care. It looks as though many of our fellow citizens who work in maintenance, housekeeping, food services, laboratories, diagnostic imaging and health records in health facilities across our province are going to have their jobs taken over by private sector companies and their employees.

National Post Thu Aug 29 2013

Canadian researchers are equipping nurses with badges that buzz whenever the workers forget to wash their hands, part of a high-tech answer to a problem blamed for thousands of hospital deaths a year. The country's first experiment with electronic monitoring of hand-hygiene dramatically improved practices in one hospital, and could potentially save many lives if implemented widely, the project's developers say. It does not, however, mean Big Brother is coming to health care, they insist.

THE NATIONAL Mon Aug 26 2013,

An Alberta woman is sharing her own story of a terrible medical mistake. Lynn Burkett survived cancer but has since suffered a terrible ordeal and heavy scarring. Burkett had a double mastectomy. An infection led to a second surgery and then a lot of pain and worse.

CBC.CA News Wed Sep 4 2013,

A confidential report into how Alberta Health Services awarded new home-care contracts reveals competing agencies expressed a wide range of complaints over the process. The AHS report shows agencies complained about a lack of transparency, deadlines that were too tight, and made allegations that some companies directly approached the premier.

Montreal Gazette Wed Sep 4 2013

As Quebec Health Minister Réjean Hébert postpones the start date of a law giving pharmacists expanded powers, two groups are denouncing what they call the "partial privatization" of pharmacy

services.

globeandmail.com Thu Aug 29 2013,

#65-70: INTERPROVINCIAL RELATIONS AND HEALTH CARE Continue working with willing provinces and territories to establish a Canadian Securities Regulator. Not kept, though talks continue. Complete a tax-harmonization agreement with the Quebec government. Kept. Work collaboratively with the provinces and territories to renew the Health Accord and continue to reduce wait times. Kept, though provinces say they were blindsided by Ottawa's new health transfer plan. Forgive a portion of student loans for those who agree to practice in underserved rural or remote areas. Kept. Ensure that every recreational hockey arena in Canada has a defibrillator. Kept, in that a program was announced, though it is not clear whether defibrillators have made it to all arenas. Implement the accord on Quebec's offshore resources. Kept.