Feb 15, 2023
A group of about 50 people from across Saskatchewan came together on Sept. 21 for a visioning session on patient- and family-centred care (PFCC).
The purpose of the day-long event, which was held at Wanuskewin Heritage Park just outside of Saskatoon, was to establish the current state of PFCC in the province, learn from one another’s successes and challenges, and collectively discuss a vision for the future.
More than two dozen patient and family advisors (PFAs), as well as staff leads and executive sponsors from across Saskatchewan’s health care system, discussed what PFCC currently looks like in the province, as well as what it should look like in five years.
Each health region and provincial organization – including the Health Quality Council (HQC), the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, eHealth Saskatchewan, and 3sHealth – was asked to share its current state, including strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results/risks (SOAR).
“The best part of the day for me was hearing about family-centred care around the province, not only through the reports from each health region but through my conversations with other PFAs,” said Amy Williams, a PFA from Prairie North Health Region.
For Bob Quesnel, a PFA from Prince Albert Parkland Health Region, a highlight of the day was “the diversity of ideas that were expressed.”
“My main aspiration for PFCC in Saskatchewan, in the future, is that both the cultures of staff and the public evolve to the point that patients’ rights and responsibilities are fully accepted and implemented,” he said.
Judy McConnell, a PFA from Heartland Health Region, found the day to be “very interesting and thought-provoking.” She said she enjoyed the participants’ enthusiasm and the “great ideas for this new chapter in health care in our province.”
For HQC’s Jocelyn Watson, a Provincial Improvement Consultant working in the area of PFCC, one of the best parts of the day was also the enthusiasm for “all of the great work that has been done, and also for the possibilities that lie ahead to continue moving the work of PFCC forward.”
“At HQC, we often hear about the examples of great work happening around the province, but getting the opportunity to hear from every organization in a ‘rapid-fire’ format reinforced just how much we have achieved collectively as a province – and in a relatively short period of time – to make our health care system more patient-centred,” she said.
As a next step, the outputs of the meeting will be written up into a draft report. The document will be brought forward to the PFCC Guiding Coalition for review and action prioritization before being finalized. This will help to inform and guide the work of the health system – including the Provincial Health Authority, the Athabasca Health Authority, the Ministry of Health, eHealth Saskatchewan, 3sHealth, and HQC – over the next year.
