MEASURING SUCCESS
Defining qualitative and quantitative measures of success
Ultimately, the success of IHSP-2 will be measured by the experiences of individuals and families using the system. It will be evident in how quickly they get the services they need, and in the organized manner in which these services are delivered to them by various health service providers. The Plan’s success will be felt by patients who are developing fewer complications from an illness, and by those who are able to better manage their chronic conditions to live fuller and healthier lives.
For people who work and volunteer within health care organizations, success will have multiple definitions. It will be manifested in the growing willingness of organizations to work together to deliver more effective care and support, and in the greater availability of information which health and community support professionals need to make sound decisions in their work. Just as importantly, the success of this Plan will be affirmed by the greater sense of satisfaction health and support professionals feel because they are better supported and equipped to help the people in the LHIN who rely on them. The IHSP-2 is designed to enhance the work life of health care workers across all sectors.
TOOLS FOR MEASURING SUCCESS
Success by the numbers
To ensure and confirm that the goals set out to do in the IHSP-2 are met, the Toronto Central LHIN will work closely with health service providers, subject matter experts and consumers to strengthen the tools that will provide more outcomes-focused measures of this Plan’s progress.
At present, data and indicators for all priorities are challenged by inconsistencies and data reporting issues. While this is not unusual given that these are relatively new priorities for both the province and the LHIN, high quality-data and indicators are essential to driving performance improvement.
For this reason, during the first half of IHSP-2, the Toronto Central LHIN will concentrate on strengthening data related to the five priorities and key enablers and on gaining a better understanding of the relationship between actions and measures for the Plan and accountability agreements.
The following are some tools that will be used to measure the success of IHSP-2:
Annual Business Plan
Each year, the LHINs are required to submit a business plan to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The Annual Business Plan will be a crucial tool for defining and measuring the progress and outcomes of the Integrated Health Service Plan. It will allow the Toronto Central LHIN and its health service providers and stakeholders to refine and further develop data and indicators. It will also help the LHIN assess its overall direction and update actions in response to performance, changes in provincial policy, and new insights and evidence.
Quarterly report against the Annual Business Plan
The Toronto Central LHIN will report each quarter on progress and outcomes related to the milestones and targets set out in the Annual Business Plan.
Yearly report card against the Annual Business Plan
Once a year, the Toronto Central LHIN will produce a report card on overall progress against the Annual Business Plan, including progress against the four outcomes and 15 system functions shown on the system strategy map. Appendix 4 provides an overview of the planned approach for developing this more comprehensive report card. Given the complexity of determining indicators and obtaining information, reporting on several dimensions of system performance will be phased in over three years.