REVIEW OF SUNNYBROOK VETERANS CENTRE RELEASED

Review points to examples of excellent care and opportunities for improvement

TORONTO, ON (February 20, 2013) - A review of the care of veterans at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has shown the hospital to be a leader in the quality of care provided to aging war veterans and highlights areas for improvement such as developing specific plans for high needs families.

Late last year, following reported concerns from a number of families, Veterans Affairs Canada launched an audit of the facility, which was complemented by a similar review that focused on the provincially funded beds in the Centre. The Veterans Centre at Sunnybrook receives funding for its 500 beds from both the provincial and federal governments, which necessitated the two processes. Today, results of the provincially focused review were released.

Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long Term Care recommended Dr. Karima Velji, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Executive from Baycrest Health Sciences, to conduct the review. The results of the provincial review did not raise concerns with the quality of care, the safety of veterans, or processes in place to deal with complaints.

"Dr. Velji made mention of several of the excellent examples of care provided in K and L wings such as the Partners in Veterans Care program, which was singled out in our last accreditation survey as a national best practice for improving communication between patients and families and care teams," said Dr. Barry McLellan, President and CEO. "She also pointed out several areas for improvement and we are taking her recommendations seriously and have already begun implementing them."

Specifically, Dr. Velji recommended increasing the frequency of conducting satisfaction surveys of residents and families to gain a more 'real time' sense of the concerns people may have with the centre. She also recommended developing better processes for working with high needs families, improving the visibility of front-line managers on the patient care units, and finding ways to improve communication with veteran residents and families.

"I am very confident that the leadership team and staff will hold themselves accountable to address any of the issues that have been identified as a result of this audit," said Sheila Ryan, Co-Chair of the Family Advisory Council.

There were several positive points in Dr. Velji's review such as the mention of the Accreditation Canada survey in November 2010 where all 121 standards were met or exceeded and the Veterans Centre was identified as a flagship for long term care in Canada. The Report references the quality indicators that the Canadian Institute of Health Information monitors, where the Veterans Centre was ranked in a tie for second when compared with 16 other large complex continuing care facilities in Ontario.

"It is helpful to have another set of eyes take a look at your processes and procedures," said Dr. McLellan. "Having someone take an objective look at your operation offers an opportunity to hear new thoughts and ideas. We are encouraged with Dr. Velji's review and we look forward to continuing to implement her recommendations to improve the experience our veterans and their families have with our organization. Our goal is to be the national leader in this field and Dr. Velji's advice is another step in our path to get there."

"The care and the management in the Veterans Centre is first class. You are not going to find anything better than this in Canada. I welcome the opportunity to publish the results of the review and to correct any misinformation," said Don Stewart, President, Veteran Residents Council. 

In the coming weeks, results of the audit from Veterans Affairs Canada are expected to be released.

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Media contact:
Craig DuHamel
Vice President
Communications and Stakeholder Relations
416.480.4040