HIP Addendum – December 2008
As the Fort Erie Standing Committee (FESC) of the Niagara Health System did not approve the revised HIP this past fall, the NHS Board therefore had to consider whether or not the FESC made a reasonable decision on the revised HIP based on specific legal criteria. The NHS Board determined that the FESC did not act unreasonably, however the Board did not agree with the standing committee’s decision. The NHS Board’s position on the FESC decision was subsequently provided to the LHIN for their deliberations on November 25, 2008.
At the LHIN’s November 25, 2008 meeting, LHIN Board members directed the NHS to go back and amend the revised HIP to remove all references to in-patient and emergency department changes at Douglas Memorial as well as any related cost savings then resubmit the amended plan to the LHIN.
The LHIN’s request for the NHS to resubmit the revised HIP amended to remove references to Emergency Department and in-patient service changes at the Douglas Memorial site was a technicality. This stems from the fact that the NHS Board can only implement a plan that it has the legal authority in its bylaws to implement. The NHS resubmitted the revised HIP with the Douglas Memorial exclusions in early December and on December 16, 2008 the LHIN exercised its authority to direct NHS to make these changes at the Fort Erie site without NHS Board approval (as defined in its Bylaws through standing committee approval).