Reflections on 23/24 from CEO Stacey Daub and COS Dr. Colin MacPherson
Today’s Annual Meeting of the Quinte Health Board of Directors marks the close of another remarkable operating year for our teams. We wanted to take a moment to share some reflections about where we are as an organization and the innovative work ahead as we further our strategy, inspired by our values of Imagine it’s you, Value everyone, We all make a difference and Stronger together.
The environment Quinte Health operates within has dramatically changed over the past four years: the pandemic, the health human resource challenges, the immense growth in the number of patients and complexity of their care needs – all of which have also contributed to higher demand, challenging our capacity and outpacing our current funding levels. This has resulted in record-high levels of service and back-to-back budget shortfalls. These shortfalls have been mitigated, in part, thanks to pressure funding and support from the government.
Over the past four years, Quinte Health has experienced a 14% increase in Emergency Department visits, 41% increase in inpatient medicine days, 24% increase in surgical cases, and a 36% increase in cancer care services.
We are not alone – it’s a challenging time for many Ontario hospitals and community providers. In addition to these common system-wide pressures, Quinte Health has other unique circumstances. We know our community is among the highest users of hospital services. In addition to an aging population, the burden of chronic illness and social determinants of health in our area, like income, education and living situation, drive higher health care utilization. Significant regional gaps in primary care, community care, mental health and addictions services put additional pressure on the hospital system.
Through all of this, Quinte Health has not just adapted, but also improved, developed and strengthened. This is an organization that, in the face of unprecedented challenges and change, has found new ways to adapt and thrive. Our news section is teeming with stories that showcase care, compassion, connection and our people.
We know the demand in services will not wane anytime soon. Our communities are growing rapidly. The secret is out, the Quinte region is a beautiful place to live, to work, and to raise a family. It’s also a phenomenal place to retire and age in place. By 2050, the population is expected to increase by 60,000 people in the region, with the senior population expected to grow by 50% within the next 30 years.
We are reassured by the response we are receiving from Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health. They are working extremely hard to support the increased demand and are working collaboratively with us on the funding front, while also investing in other areas of healthcare in the community to help ensure patients get the right care in the right places. In the meantime, our hospitals will continue to be here for our community to help fill the gaps. We are immensely grateful to our local MPPs Todd Smith and Ric Bresee for their partnership, unwavering support and advocacy efforts. We have and will continue to keep them updated every step of the way.
In health care – it takes a village. Collaboration is essential to improving health and health care in our community and we remain committed to creating healthier communities together. We will continue to partner broadly to strengthen our local health care system and our teams across this organization will remain laser focused on providing quality care to our patients and making best use of our resources. We know that every single team member across Quinte Health makes a profound difference, and each role is essential to the services we provide to our communities. Health care is not static – it is continuously evolving, and our amazing team will continue to innovate and find new ways to serve our community given the growth that is yet to come.
Stacey Daub
President and CEO
Quinte Health
Dr. Colin MacPherson
Chief of Staff
Quinte Health
