LTCI 2021 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT UPDATE 

COVID-19 impacted the LTCI Quality Improvement (QI) program by delaying team project completion and preventing the launch of 2020/21 QI activities. Responses from care home leaders to the QI questions on our 2020 program evaluation survey indicated that care home teams have a reduced capacity for engagement in QI projects.

The LTCI QI program supports physicians/NPs and care homes to undertake projects that help physicians and care home staff to meet the LTCI’s Best Practice Expectations (BPEs) for medical care in LTC, with the overall aim of improving care for residents. Factors that contribute to successful QI projects include: administrative support, a QI team commitment to trying out new ideas, a QI team leader with the time and energy to see the project through and a desire to build their QI skills, and adequate staffing to allow replacement of QI team members when they attend meetings and do project work. Due to the reported lack of capacity, the LTCI is delaying the launch of new, formal QI activities.

If in the interim you have an improvement idea related to the BPEs, and feel your site has the capacity to successfully undertake a QI project, please get in touch with us so we can explore your idea together!

IN MEMORIAM - DR. RICHARD NUTTALL 1940-2021 

It is with great sadness we share the passing of Dr. Richard Nuttall. Dr. Nuttall was a much-loved member of our long-term care community, with a medical career spanning over four decades. He showed his commitment to providing excellent patient care for all residents in LTC, and to strengthening the LTC system as a whole, through contributing his wisdom, direction, and wry sense of humour to many Division of Family Practice projects. Well known as a kind and compassionate physician, Dr. Nuttall will be missed by many. Read the full obituary here.

GPSC LTCI EVALUATION SURVEY - COMING SOON

The Vic-SI LTCI has recently opted into the province-wide GPSC LTCI quarterly evaluation process, which entails a very quick quarterly survey about medical care, completed by care home leaders. The GPSC provides quarterly quality improvement (QI) reports assessing progress towards the LTCI five BPEs and three system-level outcomes. These quarterly QI reports help inform dialogue about what’s working well and opportunities for improvement, and are informed by two main data sources: quarterly surveys assessing the quality of physician services completed by long term care staff, and administrative data from the BC Ministry of Health and individual health authorities.

What does this mean for care home leaders?

On a quarterly basis, the LTCI will forward a survey link to LTC care home leadership for completion. The survey is very short, and should take no more than 5 minutes of your time!

NATIONAL LTC REPORT REFLECTS LOCAL TRENDS

A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) indicates efforts to reduce COVID-19 in long-term care had unintended effects on residents. Residents received less medical care and fewer visits from family and friends. The report found the proportion of residents who received a doctor’s visit declined by 16% compared 2019, and transfers to hospital dropped by 27%. These findings mirror trends found in our local Victoria-South Island community. Read the full CIHI report here.

SEEKING YOUR OPINION ON LTC STANDARDS

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC), Health Standards Organization (HSO), and Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) are collaborating to develop two new complementary National Standards for Long-term Care that will be shaped by the needs of residents, families, and Canada’s LTC workforce. The public is being asked to provide input on what matters most to you to help shape the future of long-term care in Canada. Learn more or take the survey here.

MYVIRTUALVISIT CHANGED TO BC VIRTUAL VISIT

MyVirtualVisit is changing to BC Virtual Visit to support the transition to a new provincial strategy for virtual care delivery. Starting the evening of May 27th, BC Virtual Visit branded applications will be rolled out to all Island Health managed desktop and mobile devices. Patients and providers using personal mobile devices will need to download the new BC Virtual Visit app. There will be no changes to how the applications work or the privacy and security of your virtual visits. Read more here.

The BC Virtual Visit mobile application is available now on the App Store and Google Play.

CANADA'S AGING POPULATION AND CARE NEEDS

A report, released by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), highlights some of the challenges associated with our aging population. Over the next decade, as Baby Boomers enter ages associated with higher care needs, demand for long-term care is expected to grow rapidly. This report quantifies the impending costs of providing care to our seniors and explores policy solutions that are aimed at offering improvements while creating system efficiencies. Read the full report here.

DID YOU KNOW? LTCI WEBSITE RESOURCES

Did you know that the Victoria-South Island LTCI supports physicians and care home teams by providing a resource library? Whether you're looking for updated SBAR forms, COVID-19 clinical order sets, or virtual visit tools, our website offers practical resources specific to long-term care. This month, we're featuring our Virtual Visit Toolkit for Facilities, which includes:

• Physician scheduling and visit tools
• Calendar templates
• Organization charts
• Host and Follow Up documents

Already used the Virtual Visit Toolkit? We'd love to hear your thoughts! If you have feedback on any of the resources available on our site, let us know by emailing our team at VictoriaSouthIsland.LTCI@divisionsbc.ca.

MISSED IT?

Were you unable to attend our recent Virtual Learning Series events? All events are recorded and posted on our website, available here.

BILLING Q&A

An upcoming Learning Series event is a LTC Billing Q&A for physicians. Do you have a burning billing question? Submit your questions in advance by emailing us at VictoriaSouthIsland.LTCI@Divisionsbc.ca.

LTC PRACTICE PEARLS

Have a Practice Pearl that you think your LTC colleagues would benefit from or something that changed your practice? Send it in and we’ll share in our next newsletter!

NOT YET A HISTORY

A MESSAGE FROM ISLAND HEALTH CEO

Along with many others, we at the LTCI are deeply saddened and disturbed by the recent discovery of the remains of 215 children at a former residential school site in Kamloops.

In her June 2^nd message, Island Health CEO Cathy MacNeil describes the 5 residential school sites that were in the Vancouver Island region, and how this is not yet history—it still relates to the lived experience of Indigenous people today. She reminds those of us working in the health system that it is important to recognize that for Indigenous people accessing healthcare, “it has not been a safe experience. It is an experience layered with the feelings and encounters of discrimination and judgment. Encounters that include discrimination and lack of safety continue to contribute to poor health outcomes today."

As members & staff of a primary health care-focused organization, we are committed to learning more about Indigenous reconciliation and to taking action towards building culturally safe healthcare.

Cathy MacNeil’s message includes a list of resources for support and for taking action. Please read the full message here.

We work, live, and play as visitors on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Wakashan peoples, including the Lekwungen (Songhees), Xwsepsum (Esquimalt), WSÁNEĆ (Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum), Pauquachin, Malahat, T’Sou-ke, Scia’new (Beecher Bay), and Pacheedaht First Nations.

RESOURCES

Island Health’s new Order Sets are available on the LTCI website. You can download them here.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)- A Simple Way to Prevent Injuries from Falls and Advance Culture Change here.

CME Credits available for Serious Illness Conversations and Capturing Advance Care Planning. Read more here.

Read about changes to MAiD legislation - Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying here.

Read Dr. Konia Trouton's opinion piece on MAiD here or listen to her interview on the Decibel podcast here.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Framework for Improving Joy in Work and Reducing Burnout. Available here.

Access CFHI's Embedding Palliative Approaches to Care (EPAC) Learning Module here.

MRP Death Notification Tool! The LTCI have partnered with Island Health on the development of a MRP Death Notification Tool, available here. The aim is for this tool to provide MRP’s with the information needed to register a death in a timely manner.

EVENTS

June 6-12 - Celebrating Seniors! Every year, starting on the first Sunday of the June, we celebrate older adults and their many contributions during Seniors Week. This year B.C. Seniors’ Week runs June 6-12, 2021.

June 10-16 - Invitation to screen film Mother (2019). View the trailer here. The live link to register to stream the film will be available starting on June 10 here.

June 14 - Healthcare Excellence Canada presents: Appropriate Prescribing Practices in Long-term Care During COVID-19^. Register here.

June 24 - Primary Care Grand Round: Medical Assistance in Dying program update & understanding the new legislation. Register here.

July - LTCI Virtual Learning Series, Wounds in Long-term Care. Watch out for the invite!

October 26 & 27 - Ontario Long Term Care Association Signature Event – “This is Long Term Care” virtual conference October 26 & 27, 2021. Learn more here.