While the report by Drs. Danielle Martin and Pierre-Gerlier Forest plays down the actual answers to the problems of the lack of coherence in national organizations to advance and change health care, their efforts to advocate for cohesion by framing the efforts for these evidence developing organizations as a suite is refreshing. Clearly the devil is in the details but its important that the federal government places itself as having a critical role in contributing to research, practice, policy in Canadian health care.
The suite is listed here, in chronological order of founding:
- Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA)
- Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)
- Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
- Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement (CFHI)
- Canada Health Infoway (Infoway)
- Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI)
- Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC)
- Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC)
… The PCHOs are self-governed, non-profit organizations. Although the federal government provides the majority of their funding, they operate as arm’s-length bodies. They were set up between 1988 and 2007 to respond to disparate health policy issues affecting the country. …
“Fit for Purpose: Findings and Recommendations of the External Review of the Pan-Canadian Health Organizations – Summary Report”
… A VISION FOR 21ST CENTURY HEALTH SYSTEMS
The terms of reference for this review made it clear that there is a pressing need for the PCHOs to help citizens, providers, administrators, and policy makers address the vulnerabilities of today’s health systems. These vulnerabilities include issues related to fragmented and inadequate pharmaceutical policy; the need for robust health data governance and digital infrastructure; the desire to scale-up successful health innovations; the need to modernize the basket of publicly funded services to promote equity; the critical importance of strong primary care systems across the country; the need for more meaningful patient and public engagement in health care; and the imperative of working in partnership with Indigenous organizations and communities to improve Indigenous health outcomes.
But beyond the vulnerabilities of today, a successful PCHO suite must be designed to support the emergence of health systems of the future across Canada. Therefore, before recommending a future set of PCHOs, we endeavoured to understand what these 21st century systems will look like. A consensus vision emerged both across the country and in Canada’s international commitments. It is clear that Canada’s future health systems must be shaped by federal government partnership with the provinces and territories, as well as with Indigenous partners. The need to balance local and regional priorities against the need for a shared architecture and framework across Canada’s health systems will be ongoing. But there is also a set of global trends and an emerging international consensus that will set the broader context for health system reform.
The World Health Organization’s model of Integrated, People-Centred Health Services, endorsed by countries the world over – including Canada – is presented as the framework to guide Canada to 21st century health care. It puts people at the centre of the health system and promotes care that is universal, equitable, and integrated. The framework emphasizes a seamless connection to other sectors, notably those focused on the social determinants of health. This framework also promotes providing a continuum of care that requires high-performing primary care.
Learning health systems are also an essential foundation for effective health systems of the 21st century. Their goal is patient care that is continuously informed by the meaningful use of data, evidence, and research, with research and practice connected through a continuous feedback loop. This vision requires fully electronic and inter-operable health systems in which data are collected, openly shared, and accessed quickly and efficiently. ...
See the report here: https://www.canada.ca/en/healt...organization.html#a5