October 25, 2019
Lifeflight Moved to Shared Health in Next Step of Health Transformation
– – –Move Allows for Creation of Fully Integrated Emergency Response Service: Friesen
As part of the Manitoba government’s continued commitment to improving patient care through the transformation of the health system, medical leadership and operational responsibility for the Lifeflight critical care air ambulance service has transitioned to Shared Health, Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen announced today.
“Bringing together provincial emergency medical services and patient transport staff and resources under consistent operational and medical leadership will allow for the development of an improved, fully connected model of care for all patients in need of critical care, emergency, urgent and non-urgent emergency response,” said Friesen. “This next step in health system transformation will provide a more consistent, safer service with the appropriate level of care offered to patients requiring transport by air and by land.”
Critical care medical air services in Manitoba are provided by a combination of adult and child (neonatal/pediatric) transport teams within Shared Health, as well as Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) and Lifeflight. Clinical staff are assigned according to individual patient need and may include a combination of flight nurses with advanced critical care training and experience, physicians, advanced practice respiratory therapists and advanced care paramedics.
Shared Health assumed responsibility for the delivery of provincial emergency medical services and patient transport in April. The organization became responsible for the operational and medical leadership of the Lifeflight service yesterday. This transition places Manitoba’s air and land ambulance services under consistent medical leadership and day-to-day management, said Dr. Rob Grierson, Shared Health’s chief medical officer for emergency response services.
“Over the past few months, our medical and clinical teams have been working closely with the Lifeflight leadership and staff to support critical care inter-facility transports from across Manitoba,” said Grierson. “We are committed to improving patient care across the province and will be working with our partners to develop a new model of care that is able to meet the emergency and transport needs of patients across the province.”
He noted that Shared Health officials are reaching out to physicians, providers and communities as part of this work.
The Lifeflight program was developed in 1985 and has provided inter-facility air ambulance transport for critically ill or injured Manitobans from areas outside a 200-kilometre radius of Winnipeg. Forty per cent of the transports (in province and out of province) completed between April 1 and Oct. 23 were provided by the child (neonatal/pediatric) transport teams, which transferred to Shared Health in April.
While the transition of Lifeflight to Shared Health has been confirmed in relation to Manitoba’s Health System Transformation, employees and their union representatives were formally notified late yesterday of the timing of these changes. Operational and medical leadership immediately transitioned to Shared Health, while staff remain employees of the government of Manitoba.
The formal transfer of staff will occur following the development of a transition plan between the government of Manitoba and the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU), which represents Lifeflight nurses and administrative staff. Lifeflight physicians will continue to provide services on a fee-for-service basis under the medical leadership of Grierson.
Combining the Lifeflight service with the provincial emergency response services already managed and delivered by Shared Health moves Manitoba toward a more modern and co-ordinated model of care, the minister noted. It also reflects the government’s commitment to implement evidence-based and clinically informed changes that will allow Manitobans to access better care sooner, he added.
“Integrating emergency response services and patient transport will result in improved service for Manitobans,” said Friesen. “We believe the model being developed by our Manitoba clinical experts will not only apply those leading practices but improve upon them.”
The Manitoba government launched a request for proposals in 2018 that will determine whether there are alternate ways to provide the air ambulance service in a more efficient manner while maintaining patient safety levels. That RFP process remains ongoing, the minister said.
More information on health system transformation can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/health/hst.
For more information on Shared Health, visit https://sharedhealthmb.ca.
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