WRHA registers first surplus in 6 years

In the midst of a massive overhaul of the city's health-care system, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is celebrating its first surplus in years.

The WRHAreported a $420,000 surplus in the 2017-18 fiscal year, following years of budget shortfalls in the millions of dollars, according to the annual report.

Last year, the province ordered the authority to stop running deficits, which it has rung upconsistently since 2012.

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Real Cloutier, interim president and CEO of the WRHA, said staff should be proud the authority reined in its costs, and is on track to post balanced budgets in the future.

He applauded that patient wait times are falling and efficiencies are being found amida year of sweeping changes for hospitals and health-care delivery in Winnipeg.

The reorganizationplanstoconsolidate emergency careat Health Sciences Centre, St. Boniface Hospital and Grace Hospital.

"It is clear that the WRHA must continue to be nimble to adapt and thrive as new roles are defined and new approaches and structures are introduced into our health system," Cloutierwrotein the report.

In a statement Monday, he added this is the first time since 2011the WRHAhasbalanced its budget, while improving ER wait times, reducing patients' length of stay and keeping fewerpatients on personal care beds.

Shortfall twice surpassed $25 million

The annual deficit has been in the millions every year since 2012. Last year, the WRHAposted a $28.6-million deficiton anoperating budget approaching$2.7 billion.The deficit previously stood at $2.8 million the year before and $25.3 million in 2014-15.

Now, the authority is makingdo with less money.

The WRHA's operating income was $71.6 million less than the year before, sitting at $2.72 billion,but the authority responded todecreased revenue from the province by spending $148.4 million less. In total, the WRHA's expenses were$2.55 billion.

Money was saved by grouping patients together by the level of care they need and adapting staffing levels accordingly, as well as closing QuickCareClinics and increasing certain fees.

The report also found the authorityhad 32 fewerhospital beds this year (3,160compared to 3,192) and practiced 1,024 fewermain operating rooms surgeries (61,652 compared to 62,676).

There were also fewer people staying in personal care homes the last fiscal year(5,766 residents compared to 5,851 the year prior), which comes whilethe provincial government is looking to add1,200 new PCH bedsover aneight-year period.

The WRHAsaid a focus on aging in community and opening65 transitional care beds for patients not quite ready to go to a long-term care facility or back home is behind the number of vacant PCHbeds.

NDP leader Wab Kinewsaid fewer beds and fewer surgeries are a concerning trend not made better by a surplus.

"There's a right way to get to balance and a wrong way to get to balance, this is the wrong way," he said.

Deficit-slaying comes at acost: NDP

"Cutting health care funding in a way that reduces the amount of beds, reduces the amount of surgeries, to me that's the wrong way to balance your books."

It would be different if the province invested in health prevention, he said.

The provincial government saw the report differently. Wait times for emergencies and MRIsare down, while the waiting list for personal care homes are at a low.

"The former NDP government had one of the most expensive health systems in all of Canada, while getting some of the worst results for Manitobans," said a statement attributed to Health Minister CameronFriesen.

The Winnipeg health authorityrecorded81 critical incidents, which is 16 more cases than last year when a patient sustains aserious and undesired consequence, such as disability and injury, from medical treatment.

The majority of cases involved skin/tissue cases, with 23 incidents in 2017-18 compared to 12 cases the previous year.

The number of critical incidents fluctuates from year to year and the recent spike is not attributed to theconsolidation of health-care services, the WRHA said in a statement.

Among the thousands of complaints the authority receives every year from patients, 500 issues were raised about "organizational change," a new category to account for patientsdiscussingthe health-care overhaul.