Second LHIN review of Peterborough Hospital likely to ignore historic underfunding

By Warren (Smokey) Thomas
OPSEU President

The peer review of Peterborough’s new hospital is the latest review by the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) that will likely ignore the central problem – there isn’t enough funding for the hospital and supporting community services.

 This territory has been covered before – and recently.

Last year the Central East LHIN sent in an expert team to look at how the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) could reduce the number of patients occupying so-called “alternate level of care beds.” By definition, these patients have completed their acute care treatment but are unable to leave their beds for a variety of reasons, including wait lists for home care and a significant shortage of nursing home beds.

The review found Peterborough was serving a much older population than the rest of the province and by extension, enduring additional cost. In Ontario 12.9 per cent of the population is over the age of 65 years. In Peterborough City and County, that percentage jumps to 18.5 per cent. In Haliburton Highlands, almost one quarter of residents are seniors.

In addition, Peterborough serves a regional function, providing specialty services that cannot be offered at a ring of smaller hospitals, including Haliburton Highlands, Ross Memorial, Northumberland Hills, and Campbellford Memorial.

During the 1990’s, the Health Restructuring Commission recommended a target of 100 long term care beds for every 1000 people over the age of 75. That would translate to 1,750 long term care home beds in the Peterborough region. Today there are currently only 1,111 beds – just 62 percent of the recommended number. These beds are operating at 99 per cent capacity.

These factors all suggest that Peterborough Regional Health Centre is being asked to take on much more relative to its size, yet its funding is considerably lower than comparable hospitals of the same size.

For example, the new Brampton Civic hospital was built at the same time as the PRHC. It opened with fewer beds than Peterborough, yet receives almost $30 million more in annual operating funds.

This situation has been compounded by province-wide funding levels that have remained below the costs hospitals are facing through inflation, population growth, aging, competitive wage settlements and spirally drug and equipment costs.

Last year most hospitals needed between 3.5 and 4 per cent to simply stand still. They received 2.1 per cent from the province. This year the province is threatening to freeze funding. If real costs go up by an estimated 3 per cent, that means Peterborough will be additionally short-changed by about $6 million.

Last year’s review found Peterborough Regional Health Centre was already doing a lot of things right.  Many of that committee’s final recommendations will require more investment in staffing, administration, and training. The report also recommended the creation of a 12-bed specialized geriatric behavioural support unit, an 18 bed interim long term care unit, and an out-patient follow-up clinic.

Is it any wonder PRHC can’t balance its budget?

Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal needs to stop making excuses and find the money Peterborough needs to fund its new hospital, build more long term care beds, and improve home care services.

Meanwhile the Peer Review committee would be well-advised to listen to the community. Given Peer Reviews constitute a committee of health care executives from outside the community; the LHIN should attach community representatives to the project.

Peterborough is too important to the LHIN to start cutting jobs and services at the hospital. Identified by the LHIN as one of two future cardiac care centres, Peterborough should be planning for future growth, not looking at ways of getting even smaller.

 This article was also submitted to the Peterborough Examiner.

Want to send MPP Jeff Leal an e-mail about the situation? Go to www.avoidingzero.ca