Alberta’s health care system is undergoing a significant transformation, as the government of Alberta commits to restructuring the system to prioritize patient-centered care. The goal is to improve health outcomes for Albertans and empower healthcare workers to deliver quality care across the province.
In spite of the commendable efforts of front-line health workers, challenges persist within Alberta’s healthcare system, particularly in terms of accessing community care, such as family doctors and local health services. The current system’s complexity has limited system-wide oversight and the ability to establish priorities and ensure accountability for patient care.
To address these challenges, Alberta is reorganizing its healthcare system with a renewed focus on primary care, acute care, continuing care, and mental health and addiction services. This reorganization aims to streamline service delivery and protect front-line jobs during the transition.
Premier Danielle Smith emphasized the importance of putting Albertans at the forefront of healthcare decisions and providing healthcare professionals with the necessary space to deliver effective care. The government’s objective is to create a healthcare system that better serves generations of Albertans.
Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange recognized the urgency of reform and urged healthcare workers to collaborate in building a more effective system. Collaboration with physicians, as noted by Dr. Paul Parks, President of the Alberta Medical Association, is considered essential for the success of these reforms.
The restructured system will establish advisory boards dedicated to each sector, with a specific focus on primary care, acute care, continuing care, and mental health and addiction services, to be completed by the fall of 2024.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) will continue to play a significant role, primarily focusing on acute and continuing care. The acute care organization will oversee hospital care, urgent care centers, cancer care, clinical operations, surgeries, and emergency medical services, working closely with providers to reduce wait times, improve emergency response, and enhance care quality.
The primary care organization will coordinate services to ensure timely access to high-quality primary care, ensuring that every Albertan has access to a family physician or nurse practitioner and supporting integrated care teams that provide comprehensive primary care services.
Continuing care services will receive a renewed focus, with the aim of providing equitable, consistent, and timely access to support services across various settings, including homes and care facilities.
Mental health and addiction services will be overseen by Alberta’s Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction, with a new provincial organization responsible for service delivery. This change aims to provide recovery-oriented care, covering prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery support.
Covenant Health, which serves Alberta communities with acute and continuing care services, will transition to have direct relationships with the new organizations.
The government is committed to engaging healthcare workers and the public to ensure the success of this restructuring. Input from practitioners, unions, associations, and partners will be sought to address obstacles and implement practical solutions.
Front-line healthcare workers and regional partners will have the opportunity to contribute to improving care quality in their communities through new regional advisory councils. The Ministry of Health will align its structure with the new organizations and create an Indigenous advisory council to better represent local perspectives and priorities.
The Health Quality Council of Alberta will expand its role to set performance standards and collect patient insights, while a separate integration council will ensure system alignment. A procurement and system optimization secretariat within Alberta Health will negotiate standard offers for goods and services to drive efficiencies through centralized services.
The government will continue to expand the healthcare workforce, and the long-term governance of a refocused AHS will be determined in coordination with the new acute care organization.
This restructuring initiative aims to create a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, ensures quality care, and supports the well-being of healthcare professionals in Alberta. The government invites healthcare workers and Albertans to participate in this transformative journey.