Hospital Improvement Plan into the "home stretch"

“We’re on the home stretch.”

That from North Bay Regional Health Centre President and CEO Paul Heinrich on the hospital’s improvement plan.

He says quality is up and costs are significantly down.

Heinrich says the plan called for administration to find $14-Million in savings and they’ve found $11-Million.

As for staffing impact, he hoping they’re done, but can’t rule anything out.  Meantime, he points out they are hiring people after 18 months of a hiring freeze.

Heinrich says they are hiring 20 new staff a month with 60 per cent being full-time permanent and the rest part-time permanent.

The hospital is also projecting a balanced budget for 2016/17.

Meantime, Heinrich says they are required to meet the ministry’s expected cost of each patients stay.

He says they are now doing better in that area.

Hip replacements are 100 per cent within the required wait time, they’ve recruited 18 new doctors and lost time for staff injuries has decreased by a third.