toh

November 21, 2013 – The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) is reviewing its Endoscopy program to refocus it on providing care for patients who require complex and/or hospital-based care.

TOH currently performs approximately 17,000 endoscopies per year across all three of its campuses. The majority of the 6,000 procedures performed at the Riverside Campus are considered primary care and do not require the support of an acute care hospital. These cases can be safely and effectively managed in community clinics and hospitals throughout our region.

Going forward, TOH will focus its activity on more complex cases.  It is anticipated that patients will find alternate services in other community settings. TOH will continue to perform approximately 13,000 endoscopies per year at the Civic and General campuses as well as support Colon Cancer Check program, the provincial screening initiative.

Planning for this initiative is underway and implementation is expected in early 2013. It is expected that currently vacant positions will not be filled and when necessary, layoff notices will be given to meet the requirements of our employees’ collective agreements. Although this change will affect staff in the program, they will have the opportunity to move into other vacant positions across the organization and no employees should leave the hospital involuntarily.

For more information on how The Ottawa Hospital makes operational decisions, please see Improvements and Efficiencies – challenging the status quo in health care.

For more information contact:

Hazel Harding
Communications Advisor
The Ottawa Hospital
E: hharding@toh.on.ca
T: 613-737-8460