The future of health care is in your hands
Your insights and perspectives are helping lead the way in designing and implementing Alberta’s refocused health care system. Register to join us for a second round of in-person engagement happening across the province.
Prioritizing your well-being
As a health care professional, you are the backbone of the health care system. You deserve to work in a system that prioritizes your well-being, uses your experience and expertise to drive innovation, and supports you in delivering the best quality care to Albertans.
The refocused health care system will ensure doctors, nurses, front-line professionals and support staff will work in specialized and focused provincial health agencies, so your leaders will have an in-depth understanding of what you do.
As the people on the front lines of health care delivery, your feedback and input will be vital in refocusing the health care system to provide Albertans with the care they need when and where they need it.
The Alberta Association of Nurses is highly supportive of the bold steps the Government of Alberta is taking to refocus the health care system. These changes will help create better work environments for nurses and enable them to better provide care that meets the needs of Albertans.”
The healthcare system in Alberta is in crisis and new ideas and approaches are required to address current need and to support Albertans into the future.”
Empowering front-line health care workers, including first responders, is a critical step to ensuring responsive and accessible health care for citizens and patients across the province.”
What this means for my job
Supporting the health care workforce is one of our highest priorities. Refocusing the health care system is about putting the right people in the right place to deliver better care for Albertans.
Front-line workers delivering care will continue to do their jobs. We do not anticipate job losses for front-line workers. In fact, we will continue to grow the health care workforce and are taking steps to hire, train and recruit more doctors, nurses and other front-line health care workers.
The change is at the governance level. There will be dedicated leadership for each sector that will be held accountable and will be tasked with achieving priority goals to improve patient outcomes in each area.
We are committed to communicating frequently and transparently during the transition period and hearing from you about what the refocused health care system should look like.
As the refocusing takes place, we will work to minimize disruption to front-line services and health care workers to ensure patient care remains a top priority.
The Alberta Professional Fire Fighters & Paramedics Association believes in order to achieve improved ambulance response times and a community-focused pre-hospital care system that prioritizes the well-being of its practitioners, a structural change to the provision of health is in order."
We are excited with the government’s refocusing of the healthcare system. It will achieve better system coordination and delivery for service providers, more support for front-line workers and improved access to addiction and mental health supports.”
We need new models and a novel approach to our health care challenges. We have the talent, innovations, and the dedicated health care practitioners to achieve this.”
The role of AHS
Alberta Health Services (AHS) will continue to have a strong role as part of the refocused system.
Over time, AHS will be reorganized towards a singular mandate to deliver acute care services, with a renewed patient focus on shorter wait times and higher-quality care within the acute care provincial health agency.
The role of Covenant Health
Covenant Health will continue to offer its valuable services in the areas of acute care, continuing care and mental health and addiction in communities across Alberta.
Through the health care system refocusing, Covenant Health will transition to having a direct relationship with the new provincial health agencies.
Our health system has been under considerable stress and we’re optimistic about the new bold and balanced direction set by Alberta’s government. We look forward to working with the government and all our partners to build on this new outcome-focused approach as we recommit all our energy to improving the health of Albertans.”
Rural health care professionals
Alberta’s rural health care system faces unique challenges that will require new ideas and approaches.
A refocused health care system will address the loss of rural physicians, nurses and other health professions by working with front-line workers like you and listening to Albertans. To help guide actions, address challenges and improve outcomes in rural and remote health care, Alberta’s government launched the rural health action plan.
Focus areas of the action plan include:
- Workforce: creating a healthy, sustainable, engaged and efficient health workforce in rural and remote Alberta.
- Access: delivering high-quality and appropriate health care services when and where Albertans need it.
- Models of care: creating unique care models and solutions that serve the needs in rural and remote communities.
- Community care: establishing community-specific supports to promote the physical and mental well-being of rural and remote Albertans.
- Prevention and wellness: supporting rural initiatives to reduce risk factors and encourage protective measures to reduce strain on the health system.
As a health care worker, you deserve a system that supports you in delivering care, no matter where you practise.