Cypress Among the Best in the Province
Working Towards Reducing Sick Leave and Workers Compensation Claims
T
he Ability Management Department time loss WCB claims, but also allowed time loss claims is a proactive approach to manner to minimize repetitive strain
at the Cypress Health Region is pro- our employees to not have to use their sick dealing with the incident reports. Cypress injuries.
pelling the region into a provincial time when they acquired the norovirus has a “one stop shop” where all incident
One of the challenges faced by the Health
leader in the reduction of sick leave and from work. Senior Medical Officer, Dr. Ivo reports are faxed to the Ability
Region in all departments, including
Workers Compensation Board (WCB) Radevski, has advised that all employees Management Department and followed
Ability Management, is the disbursement
claims. cannot return to work until they are up on immediately. This may mean work-
of its facilities and population. With
Consisting of Lyris Cappelle (Senior
asymptomatic for forty-eight hours”. ing with staff, managers, and OH&S com-
approximately 45,000 people spread
Ability Management Coordinator), Laurie The goal here is to contain and mitigate
mittees on corrective actions so that this
across roughly 45,000 square kilometers,
Finlay (Ability Management the spread of the virus as much as possi-
type of incident doesn’t happen again.
travel can often become a concern.
Coordinator), and Jeff Schwan (Director ble.
Employees in health care are great “care
of Occupational Health and Safety), the
givers”, but often neglect caring for them-
Before June 2009, if any rural employees
The results of this approach provide due
Ability Management Department has been
selves when it comes to illness or injury.
were injured at work and required physio-
credibility to the region as 3 of its 4
working hard to implement new regimens
Sometimes when they are injured at work
therapy treatments they would have to
employee providers (Saskatchewan Union
throughout the region to improve both
they manage it by taking some over the
travel outside their community to access
of Nurses, Health Sciences Association of
areas.
counter pain medication and hope it will
that service. Leader employees were trav-
Saskatchewan, Service Employees
go away. The Ability Management
eling to Kindersley, Maple Creek employ-
The Ability Management Department is International Union, and Out of Scope)
Department follows up on each incident
ees were traveling to Swift Current or
taking a proactive approach to managing were below the provincial average in sick
report and ensures appropriate medical
Medicine Hat. This seemed silly when
employees that contract Norwalk at work. leave hours lost per 100 full time employ-
attention is sought and a treatment plan is
Physiotherapists were in these facilities on
“As soon as an outbreak is declared the
ees (full time equivalents). This approach
implemented. The department works
a weekly basis, but they could not treat
Ability Management Department is noti-
has resulted in Cypress being a
closely with the employee, union, and
other Cypress Health Region employees
fied. We immediately are in contact with
Saskatchewan leader by having some of
medical care providers to identify any
because the Region was not accredited to
the scheduling department for that facility
the lowest wage driven premium hours in
opportunity for employees to do modified
provide WCB services. The Cypress Health
and monitor all people that are calling in
the province.
duties or work reduced hours in efforts to
Region has taken the initiative to become
sick,” commented Laurie Finlay. “A list of Perhaps the most notable statistic stem-
remain safely at work.
accredited to provide primary level WCB
names is given to our Public Health ming from these proactive measures is the
services to its employees so that rural staff
The positives don’t stop there.
Inspectors and they contact the employees number of days lost to WCB claims per
can access this service within their com-
to confirm if the leave of absence is relat- 100 full time equivalent employees.
The region has its own certified
munities.
ed to the Norovirus Outbreak in that facil- While the provincial average is slightly
Ergonomic Assessor (Lyris Cappelle) to
With a dedicated Ability Management
ity. The Ability Management Department above 106 days per year, the Cypress
complete ergonomic assessments for staff.
Department hard at work, the Cypress
files a WCB claim for all employees that Health Region is nearly 25% fewer with
If the assessment confirms that the staff’s
Health Region has positioned itself well to
have confirmed signs and symptoms of just 77.3 days per year lost to WCB claims.
workstation is a contributing factor to any
maintain its spot as a provincial leader in
the Norovirus. We do not wait for the
musculoskeletal symptoms, a WCB claim
Just one of many steps being taken to
WCB claims and sick leave reduction for
employee to contact us to file their claim.
is filed. The implementation of recom-
improve staff health, safety, and reduce
years to come.
This process has increased our number of
mendations is then completed in a timely
By the Numbers
Releasing Time to Care
in the Cypress
Cypress Health Region Takes Steps Towards
Health Region:
Increasing Nursing Time with Patients 3 – minutes you should brush your teeth, twice
per day
A
combination of higher levels of acuity, more On May 20, 2009, the Cypress Health Region
complex treatments, and an increase in the learned that their video application to become a
6 – Nurse Practitioners
quantity of paperwork required by nurses all context test site for Releasing Time to Care: The
7 – minutes between deaths from Heart Disease
across the world has resulted in less one on one Productive Ward™ was successful. The Region will
or Strokes in Canada
time with patients and a decrease in overall job sat- now begin implementation training in June of 2009.
isfaction.
8.25 – average length, in days, of an Outbreak in
The Cypress Health Region’s Implementation Team
a facility
Releasing Time to Care© (RTC) is a program from consists of: Christine Mirka, Executive Lead; Linda
the United Kingdom that aims towards solving the Walliser, Project Lead; Nicole Vance, Ward Lead; and 21 – ambulances
above concerns that all Regional Health Authorities Greg Grant, Improvement Facilitator.
22.3 – percentage of males in the region that
in Saskatchewan are faced
“We had the pleasure are classified as smokers
with. RTC is used in coun-
“In some cases, the amount of nurs-
of attending a
tries such as Scotland, Wales,
26 – new Registered Nurse hires in 2008
New Zealand, Northern
ing time at the bedside has increased
Releasing Time to
Care information ses- 46 – Physicians, not including specialists
Ireland, and Australia while it
as much as 40% as a result of the
sion that featured
is also being negotiated in the
54.9 – percentage of regions population in rural
USA, Hong Kong, Holland,
Releasing Time to Care program.”
speakers from the
areas
United Kingdom as
and elsewhere.
well as the Saskatchewan Releasing Time to Care test 21 – ambulances
The program empowers providers to identify and sites,” commented Erin Soos, Director of Strategic
74 – countries with confirmed H1N1 cases
make changes to create a work environment that Planning and Performance. “The speakers were
ultimately improves care for their patients. In enthusiastic, and spoke positively of Releasing Time
264 – staff trained in Transfer/Lift/Repositioning
England, wards that have implemented Releasing to Care’s ability to improve both patient care, and in 2008
Time to Care have seen a decline in absenteeism, the work environment for all practitioners and staff
457 – dialysis procedures performed in one
improved staff morale, and better patient care. groups. Although the program focuses on nursing
quarter at the Cypress Regional Hospital
Provincially, two units have been involved in testing
functions, it encourages teamwork and joint prob-
the applicability of RTC in Saskatchewan.
lem solving amongst all groups who work on a
1,700 – employees
Oncology (3B) at the Pasqua Hospital in Regina and
nursing unit. Ultimately, everyone will participate
32,812 – emergency room visits at hospitals
the Medicine Unit at the Moose Jaw General
in working through their frustrations with current
Hospital have each reported seeing a number of
processes, and improving the quality of care our
43,444 – people living in the region
improvements on their wards since implementing
patients receive. The speakers noted that completing
453,126 – days of work Canadians miss each
the Releasing Time to Care tools.
the modules is hard work, but that the program is
year due to dental disease
very rewarding for all who participate in it.”
107,980,000 – dollars in the 2009/10 opera-
tional budget
8 the Source June 09
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