Plan for changes to local hospitals goes to QHC board

October 29, 2015 at 2:55 pm

BELLEVILLE – Proposed changes for Quinte Health Care are set to go to the board in November.

The changes will apply to all four of the QHC hospitals, and will mostly involve the distribution of services.

In May and June, QHC gathered input from over 1,000 people in the community to see what their priorities are for health care.

“The proposals that were shared with the community at the beginning of October were created based on the input we gathered in the summer, as well as the recommendations from the Brighton-Quinte West Health Services Advisory Committee,” said Susan Rowe, senior director of communications at QHC.

Some of the changes in the proposed plan have already been decided. According to Rowe, one of the biggest changes will be the move of 2,400 surgeries:

Rowe said there is a reason for the moving of these surgeries, and that reason is cost:

But this change won’t be as drastic as it sounds. According to Rowe, only half of the people who undergo surgery at Trenton Memorial Hospital are actually from the Quinte West area.

“Most of the people receiving surgery there are already travelling from Belleville, Prince Edward County or Hastings, so it’s not necessarily an increase in the overall amount of travel,” she said.

Another change that will be implemented is the complex continuing care unit, which is currently based at Belleville General Hospital will be moved to TMH. The elective bronchoscopy clinic will also remain open.

Staffing changes will also have to be made based on the budget, Rowe said: