UPDATED: Alberta government introduces bill to refocus healthcare system

The Alberta government has put forward legislation to what it says will refocus the healthcare system to ensure Albertans get the care they need when and where they require it. To achieve this, the Alberta government will be creating four new organizations dedicated to each priority health services sector — Acute care, primary care, continuing care, and mental health and addictions. “We are taking another step toward improving healthcare by updating legislation and enabling the governance and oversight required to refocus the health system,” said Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange in a Tuesday press release. “The critical improvements to transparency and accountability will help support the successful refocusing of the healthcare system to one that is responsive, effective and reflects the needs and priorities of Albertans today and for future generations.”If passed, the Alberta government said the Health Statutes Amendment Act (HSAA) would enable it to take the necessary steps to refocus the healthcare system. It added the HSAA would ensure Albertans have a system that works for them by prioritizing their need to find a primary care provider, receive urgent care without long waits, have access to the best continuing care options, and obtain excellent mental health and addiction treatment. The HSAA would enable the transition from Alberta Health Services (AHS) to an integrated system of four sector-based provincial health agencies. These agencies will be responsible for delivering integrated health services, ensuring Albertans receive timely access to care, regardless of where they live. The Alberta government said the HSAA establishes roles for an oversight and sector minister. The health minister will take on the role of oversight minister, who will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of the healthcare system. A sector minister will be responsible for a specific health services sector. For example, the sector minister for Recovery Alberta is the mental health and addictions minister. The Alberta government predicted enhanced government oversight will help it to better direct resources to the frontlines where they are most needed, improve patient care, and support healthcare workers. Alberta Mental Health and Addictions Minister Dan Williams said mental health and addictions “have been growing issues within our society and need to be prioritized within our healthcare system.”“Amid an addiction crisis, a refocused health system will allow for mental health and addiction services to get the attention, oversight, and focus they need,” said Williams. “Recovery Alberta would allow for improved mental health and addiction care across the province as an important part of an integrated health system.”The Alberta government went on to say the HSAA will enable the health minister to transfer employees or classes of them from AHS to the new sector-based organizations once established. During the transition period, AHS will be enabled to continue operating as a regional health authority.It said employee transfers will be seamless, maintaining existing bargaining relationships and collective agreements. There will be no job losses for staff who transition into the new organizations. The HSAA includes amendments to the Regional Health Authorities Act (RHAA) and the Health Information Act (HIA), which have not been updated since the 1990s. As part of these amendments, the name of the RHAA will change to the Provincial Health Agencies Act (PHAA). The PHAA will remove outdated references to allow the transition from a single regional health authority to a unified, sector-specific provincial healthcare system.The amendments will place responsibility on the provincial health agencies for operational planning and oversight of clinical service delivery across Alberta. This will enable provincial health agencies to set priorities in providing health service delivery.Amendments to the HIA will be introduced to support the new healthcare system refocus and to support the establishment of the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CORE). These amendments will allow Alberta Health, Mental Health and Addictions, the four new provincial health agencies, the Health Quality Council of Alberta, and CORE to have the authority to use health information for health system purposes.If passed, the HSAA would enable Recovery Alberta to begin operating in summer 2024. The primary care, acute care, and continuing care health agencies are expected to be established in the fall. LaGrange followed up by saying she was not rushing. “We’re working methodically to do what needs to be done,” she said. “We have to set these organizations up.” When the Alberta government announced the healthcare reform plan in the fall, she said it promised public engagements. It has done extensive public engagements and will continue to hold them. Alberta NDP MLA Luanne Metz (Calgary-Varsity) said the HSAA is a plan to centralize more control in Premier Danielle Smith’s office. “This is a blueprint to escalate the chaos in our hospitals and clinics and will do nothing to improve results for patients or support staff,” said Metz. “Danielle Smith wants to control everything, everywhere, all at once, and this Frankenstein of a bill will continue the dismantling of Alberta Health Services and stuff patients and providers into ineffective silos.”.The NDP spoke with a family on Monday whose elderly father had been receiving hallway healthcare for two weeks. Metz asked how many different departments, managers, and ministries would need to answer for this man’s care under Smith’s plan.

UPDATED: Alberta government introduces bill to refocus healthcare system

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