Humber River Health (Humber) has embarked on an ambitious and transformative journey to enhance its ambulatory care services, with a clear focus on meeting the needs of the North West Toronto community. This community, which has higher disease prevalence compared to surrounding regions, deserves equitable, quality care right where they live. Humber’s 2023-2026 Ambulatory Strategic Plan is designed to strengthen local partnerships, deliver cutting-edge outpatient medical care and extend patient care by collaborating with community health partners. This plan reflects Humber’s commitment to delivering comprehensive quality care closer to home and enhancing patient experiences and outcomes.
This Ambulatory Strategic Plan emerged primarily from extensive community engagement that was conducted during the development of Humber’s corporate strategic plan. “This is Humber’s first ambulatory strategy,” explains Carol Hatcher, Executive Vice President, Chief Nursing Executive, and Chief of Clinical Programs. “Community engagement sessions highlighted an opportunity to review and optimize Humber’s current bundle of ambulatory services to ensure they meet the needs of our community.”
Research conducted to gauge the opinions of Toronto residents in the Humber River Health catchment area revealed key insights, including their awareness of services offered at Humber. Notably, residents were most aware of Humber’s Apotex Emergency Department (ED), compared to other services and programs offered, with close to six in ten reporting awareness. This data aligns with the reality that Humber’s ED is the busiest in the province, hosting almost twice as many ambulances as neighbouring hospitals.
Ambulatory care encompasses a wide range of care offered in an outpatient setting, including diagnosis, observation, consultation, treatment, rehabilitation and minor procedural services. The focus is broad, from investigations and treatments to preventative care. “Our intention is provide a comprehensive care pathway for patients that may require pre and post-acute care, supporting the whole patient journey,” says Carol.
Ambulatory Strategy Planning and Development Process
A collaborative effort began to develop Humber’s ambulatory strategy in September 2023, involving tailored internal and external stakeholder interviews, research on leading global and national ambulatory care systems, and working sessions with Humber leadership, patients, community partners, staff, and physicians. The planning process included extensive environmental scans, state assessments, and community engagement to ensure a well-rounded and effective strategy. Environmental scans researched innovative approaches to ambulatory care by local and international peers to identify best practices and opportunities for Humber. State assessments analyzed Humber’s cross-ambulatory programs to better understand growth, utilization, virtual adoption, and resource allocation. Facilitated community engagement sessions gathered input from residents on their top healthcare concerns and needs for
integrated care.
The development of this strategy aimed to refine and align ambulatory-specific strategic goals, directions, objectives, and outcomes, and is crucial in identifying gaps in services and exploring opportunities to better meet community needs. “It was clear from our initial analysis that there was an opportunity to re-imagine what our ambulatory services look like at Humber,” says Carol. “This strategy is very much centered around community need.”
The culmination of these efforts will be a robust three-year ambulatory strategic plan with a strategic decision framework, set to drive Humber’s decision-making processes across various ambulatory initiatives.
Key strategic objectives underpinning this plan include developing community partnerships to deliver local, patient-centered care, leveraging Humber’s three major locations to enhance equity and accessibility of ambulatory services, and improving care delivery so patients feel at the centre of their healthcare journey. Additionally, Humber is committed to delivering equitable care, prioritizing innovation not just within the hospital but also at community outpatient sites, and ensuring staff coordination across all locations.
Looking Ahead
This strategic approach underscores the importance of accessibility, efficiency, patient experience, equity, and value in healthcare delivery. Humber’s focus on providing care close to home will improve patient outcomes and experiences. Empowering patients to become partners with their healthcare team, ensuring equitable access to care, and making the most of available resources are central to Humber’s mission.
Humber River Health’s new ambulatory care strategy is a testament to its dedication to lighting new ways in healthcare. Through comprehensive planning, community partnerships, and a relentless focus on patient-centered care, Humber is poised to transform ambulatory care in North West Toronto, delivering high-quality, equitable healthcare that meets the diverse needs of its community. “Our goal is to provide comprehensive, quality care closer to home and ensure our community receives the best possible healthcare,” says Carol.
