PHOTO: Members of RVH’s Operating Room (OR) team gathered to celebrate recognition from Cancer Care Ontario for meeting wait time compliance. Staff in the photo are, from left, Chris Ferguson, RVH VP of Patient Care Services, Melanie Smith, RN, Laura Empey, RN, Suzanne Smith, RN, Rhonda Normandeau, Clinical Manager OR/CSS/ONC, Laura Mick, RN, Dr. Susan Krajewski, Surgeon, Dr. Bill Blaine, Anesthetist, Moe Donohue, RN, and Dr. Neil Howatt, Surgeon. Photo submitted
RENFREW — The Renfrew Victoria Hospital has been rewarded by Cancer Care Ontario for its speedy response to patients requiring cancer surgery.
“The team’s dedication to providing the best, most efficient care is always a priority and I am so pleased that they have achieved this recognition,” comments Chris Ferguson, RVH’s Vice President of Patient Care Services, during a small celebration for the OR team.
Rhonda Normandeau, Clinical Manager of RVH’s Operating Room and Oncology Unit, says another key to their success is teamwork and communication.
Ms. Normandeau also credits RVH’s surgeon, Dr. Susan Krajewski’s strategy to reserve booking slots for urgent cancer patients.
She explains that Cancer Care Ontario has targets established for consultation and treatment and the certificates for RVH were awarded for providing timely service from April 2015 to March 2017.
“We reported 100 per cent compliant in the wait times for those timeframes,” explains Ms. Normandeau.
Compliancy is based on Cancer Care Ontario’s two separate criteria:
Wait 1 – Time of referral from a family physician to the time the patient consults with a specialist / surgeon (target of 21 days)
Wait 2 – Time patient sees surgeon with the decision to treat to the time they have their surgery (target of 28 days).
Surgery is a critical component of treatment for cancer patients. Due to the nature of the disease, early diagnosis and quick surgery can stop most cancers from spreading to other parts of the body.
Ms. Ferguson points to the work of other departments, such as Diagnostic Imaging to reduce time between initial diagnosis and specialized diagnostics when needed, and support provided by the Laboratory, as playing an important role in enabling timely results.
The certificates presented to RVH from Cancer Care Ontario congratulate all staff for successfully meeting the provincial annual improvement targets for reducing wait times.
