Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutADM-01-07 Cl~-1lJglon REPORT ADMINISTRATION Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Report #: ADM-O 1-07 File: , /, ) - f Z Z - 07. ~-:' f /-\ By-law #: Date: Monday, February 19, 2007 Subject: PHYSICIAN RECRUITMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report ADM-01-07 be received; 2. THAT the unexpended funds in the amount of $43,000. in the Industrial Development Reserve Funds be assigned to the Clarington Board of Trade for the purpose of recruiting physicians to Clarington subject to the conditions set out in this report; and 3. THAT the Board of Trade be advised of Council's decision. \~~ ' Submitted bY:U ~ G.5k Franklin Wu Chief Administrative Officer February 5, 2007 CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1C 3A6 T (905)623-3379 F (905)623-0830 REPORT NO.: ADM-01-07 PAGE 2 1. BACKGROUND 1.1 Family physician shortage in Clarington has been well documented for a number of years. In the past, recruitment effort was generally handled through Lakeridge Health. Apparently, due to budget limitation, Lakeridge Health was no longer able to actively recruit family physicians. As a result, several community volunteers formed a Physician Recruitment Task Force sometime in 2002 trying to bring family physicians to our community. Inasmuch as the Task Force was trying its best, it became apparent that it needed to have the assistance of a professional recruiter to prepare a recruitment plan as well as to undertake the actual recruitment works. 1.2 Subsequently, the Task Force approached the Municipality for financial assistance. On November 8, 2004, Council authorized staff to work with the Task Force to retain a consultant to prepare: a) a recruitment plan; and b) to retain the service of a professional recruiter In February, 2005, Council approved retaining the service of Organization Consulting Ltd. to undertake the above tasks at a cost of $131 ,000 with the said fund be drawn on the Industrial Economic Development Reserve Funds. At the same time, council established a new Physician Recruitment Committee and directed the new Committee, under the chair of Sheila Hall from the Board of Trade, to work with the consultant. 1.3 The contract with Organization Consultant Ltd required the deliver of a strategic recruitment plan and the recruitment of family physicians over a period of approximately eighteen months. The strategic plan was delivered in the fall of 2005. However, the result of recruitment fell way short of expectation. In fact, by the spring of 2006, it has become obvious to the Committee that the consultant may have under-estimated the difficulties in REPORT NO.: ADM-01-07 PAGE 3 recruiting physicians due to the severe competition among many physician starving communities. This prompted the Committee to rethink its strategy. 1.4 Instead of relying on the work of a Consultant, the Committee felt that the best chance of success is perhaps doing the recruitment through joint effort by local physicians and community volunteers. In this regard, the Committee Chair recommended to Council that any unexpended fund that would otherwise pay to the consultant be directed to the Committee to continue various physician recruitment tasks. On March 6, 2006, Council allocated a portion of the committed and unused fund in the amount of $38,000. to the Board of Trade to continue physician recruitment. 1.5 Over the summer of 2006, Organization Consultant Ltd continued to struggle to deliver new physician to Clarington. This necessitated the CAO to terminate the contract with the consultant in November, 2006. Of the $131,000 originally approved by council, $45,000 has been paid to the consultant, $5,000 has been spent on miscellaneous items, and $38,000 was advanced to the Board of Trade. This leaves a balance of $43,000 which is the subject of this report. 2. COMMENTS 2.1 The Mayor and CAO have recently met with the Physician Recruitment Chair and the President of the Clarington Board of Trade. The subjects of the discussion were to explore if and when the balance of the $43,000 can be reallocated to the Board of Trade to continue its recruitment works as well as to seek a new delivery model that best delivers physician recruitment. 2.2 On the question of fund reallocation, staff is of the opinion that council should continue its commitment up to the original total amount that was committed by previous council. Therefore, the $43,000 can be reallocated for this purpose. REPORT NO.: ADM-01-07 PAGE 4 2.3 In our exploration of the best model to deliver physician recruitment, we concluded that the current arrangement is problematic and confusing in terms of mandate and reporting structure. From the point of view of the committee, it acts as a committee of council but it receives its municipal funding through the Board of Trade. This arrangement would seemingly require the committee to report to both the Municipality and the Board of Trade. 3. NEW DELIVERY MODEL 3.1 By significantly involving the local physicians, the current Committee is having some success in recruiting physicians to Clarington. Therefore, a committee format should continue in some form and be supported by the Municipality financially. Since the current Committee is advisory in nature plus the fact that it is not a legal entity set up with proper organization structure and staff to manage revenue and expenses, it would be prudent to have the funds directed to the Board of Trade which can assume the responsibility of physician recruitment without interruption since the Chair of the current Committee is also the Administrator of the Board. 3.2 This new model will necessitate terminating the current Physician Recruitment Committee and replace it with a new committee working under the umbrella of the Board of Trade. The Board president and administrator are both supportive of the new model understanding that a redefined committee structure and mandate would be needed in order to facilitate more streamlined recruitment tasks. At a Special Meeting held by the Clarington Board of Trade in January, 2007, the Board officially accepted the responsibility of establishing a Physician Recruitment Committee. 3.3 In order to kick start the Committee and in consideration of reallocating the unexpended funds to the Board of Trade, we recommend that the unused portion in the amount of $43,000. in the Industrial Development Reserve Fund be allocated to the Board of Trade subject to the following conditions: REPORT NO.: ADM-01-07 PAGE 5 a) Committee structure shall consist of a minimum 50% membership from physicians, one representative each from the Bowmanville Hospital Foundation, and from the Orono Medical Foundation; and b) Semi-annual reporting to council on status of activities and accomplishments 4. FUTURE FUNDING Successful physician recruitment most likely requires sustained effort over several years. In this regard, we understand the Board of Trade will be addressing Council in the, not too distant future.