How is Facility Engagement enhancing support for MSAs?
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An initiative of the Specialist Services Committee, one of four joint collaborative committees of Doctors of BC and the Government of BC.
THE FUTURE OF FACILITY ENGAGEMENT
PROGRESS REPORT
How is Facility Engagement enhancing support for medical staff associations?
In preparing for the year ahead, Facility Engagement has reflected on feedback gathered from medical staff associations (MSAs) and partners during the 2024 Provincial Facility Engagement Summit. Attendees were asked:
What is the top need or opportunity the Facility Engagement Initiative can support at your site or in your region moving forward?
This progress report outlines actions underway by Facility Engagement (FE) to meet the top needs and opportunities identified. We look forward to continuing to work with MSAs, health authority partners, and MSA administrators to help advance our collective priorities in the year ahead.
TOP THEMES
- Regional engagement
- Knowledge sharing
- Health authority engagement
- Community-based resources and partnerships
- Operational supports
- MSA training and education
- Communications supports
- Site funding
- Recruitment, retention, and onboarding
- Indigenous engagement
REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT
Make regional funds available for medical staff engagement on regional health authority committees and to help address issues that impact multiple MSAs.
Regional engagement is a program priority, and FE regional funding is available to support physician-led engagement with health authority partners on regional issues. Regional funds are accessed through the Engagement Partners and coordinated between regional MSA tables and health authority partners.
REGIONAL FUNDING
REGIONAL FUNDING EXAMPLES
- Regional conferences (North, Interior)
- Sub-regional: East Kootenay PatientTransportation Committee
- Regional MSA tables
FUTURE EFFORTS
+ Clarify the decision-making process for how regional FE funds are used and accessed, including for medical staff engagement on health authority committees.
+ Support for regional events that enable MSAs to gather, share, and connect.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
Share resources and spread solutions among sites to inspire engagement.
Facility Engagement is working hard to implement the provincial Knowledge Sharing Strategy, including mechanisms such as the FE knowledge sharing portal and SEAT to capture and share projects, successes, and learning across MSAs.
FE KNOWLEDGE SHARING PORTAL
- A collection of peer-to-peer learning, 60-second stories and activity roundups of high-impact FE projects.
SEAT DATABASE
- FE activities submitted by MSAs from across the province.
THE EXCHANGE
- A database of all quality improvement-related projects initiated through Specialist Services and Shared Care Committees.
FUTURE EFFORTS
+ An MSA peer-to-peer learning series hosted by FE on topics such as physician leadership, communications, recruitment and retention, and quality improvement/data access. Register here.
+ Continued promotion of the FE Knowledge Sharing portal and sharing success stories.
+ Improvements to the quality of the SEAT database with redesign and training for MSAs.
+ Increased awareness of and connections between FE and SSC Spread Quality Improvement teams.
HEALTH AUTHORITY ENGAGEMENT
Support MSAs to bring partners to the table and enable greater transparency in decision-making.
Over the past year, the FE initiative underwent an FE Refresh campaign to re-engage all partners in understanding the purpose of and roles within FE.
FE PARTICIPANT ROLES
MSA–HEALTH AUTHORITY EXAMPLES
- How MSAs are partnering with health authorities
- Strategies to support health authority engagement
FUTURE EFFORTS
+ In alignment with the Doctors of BC Advocacy Team, FE is dedicated to supporting each health authority to address engagement challenges and opportunities identified by the Doctors of BC Health Authority Engagement Survey.
+ Each health authority has committed to concrete changes that will be reported to the membership in the near future. (Source: DoBC Board Chair’s Report to Members: Nov. 2024. Login required.)
+ Continued engagement and capacity-building via regional engagement tables and activities.
COMMUNITY-BASED RESOURCES AND PARTNERSHIPS
Leverage partnerships with other physicians and community groups on shared priorities and projects.
Facility Engagement acknowledges the important role that community-based partners can play in improving physicians’ work environment and patient care.
By providing sessional funding for physician time and administrative support, MSAs have been able to forge meaningful partnerships with divisions of family practice, local economic development organizations, municipalities, and community service organizations.
MSA EXAMPLES
OPERATIONAL SUPPORTS
Provide support for project management, quality improvement, and MSA administrator transitions.
Facility Engagement offers project management (PM) and expert operational support for MSA administrators through the PM Helpdesk, PM Lunch & Learns, and monthly FE E-News with key operational updates for MSAs.
The FE website also hosts many useful resources, and local Engagement Partners are available to support transitions between MSA administrators.
PROVINCIAL SUPPORTS
FE WEBSITE RESOURCES
- FEMS Tip Sheets/Information
- Operational webinars
- MSA Tools & Resources for project management
- Evaluation Toolkit
FUTURE EFFORTS
+ Improvement of existing operational supports, including updates to the FE website.
+ Enhanced support and training for new MSA administrators and recommended benchmarked standards related to MSA administrator roles and responsibilities.
+ Offer MSA administrators complimentary access to Institute of Health Information (IHI) Open School Quality Improvement training in collaboration with SSC Physician Quality Improvement.
MSA TRAINING AND EDUCATION
Ensure MSA leaders are trained on governance, leadership, and have access to mentorship/executive onboarding.
FE is making continuous efforts to improve education and training support for MSAs, including numerous resources on the FE website. MSAs are encouraged to use local FE funding and your Engagement Partner to access the training, education, and mentorship needed to support engagement work.
PROVINCIAL RESOURCES
- Refreshed provincial “About FE” materials, FAQs
- Engagement Resource Guide
- Governance Fundamentals Guidebook
- Governance Webinars on Conflict Resolution, Strategic Planning, Roles & Responsibilities, and more
MSA EXAMPLES
FUTURE EFFORTS
+ Renewed MSA governance materials and onboarding support for new MSA executives.
+ Increased promotion of quality improvement (QI) and leadership training through collaboration with Physician Quality Improvement (PQI), the SSC/SCC UBC Sauder Leadership Program, and SSC/SCC Physician Leadership Scholarship Program.
COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORTS
Provide a standard communications strategy and templates for MSAs to communicate with members and health authority partners.
The FE website hosts resources to enhance MSA-member and MSA-health authority communications. MSAs are also encouraged to use their local FE funding to support communications needs, and leverage your Engagement Partner for advice.
FE WEBSITE
- Communications planning overview
- MSA communications 101 overview with Q&A
- Feedback Loop template
- More MSA communications resources
FUTURE EFFORTS
+ MSA strategic communications best practice resources are in development, including updated strategic communication planning tools and templates.
+ A two-part peer-to-peer MSA learning session on strategic communications hosted by FE with expert communications advice. Register here.
+ Addition of successful communication practices from MSAs across BC on the FE Knowledge Sharing portal.
FACILITY ENGAGEMENT SITE FUNDING
Explore options for additional funding to ensure that engagement continues to evolve.
MSAs that demonstrate financial need over and above their annual allocation can submit an application to Facility Engagement (FE) for contingency funding. Engagement Partners are available to support this process.
FACILITY ENGAGEMENT CONTINGENCY FUNDING
FUTURE EFFORTS
+ Improve support for MSA strategic planning to identify goals and prioritize activities within current budgets, including leveraging Engagement Partners for this process.
+ Increase awareness of Health System Redesign funding for medical staff engagement in health authority initiatives.
+ Promote and leverage relevant Specialist Services Committee (SSC) programs and initiatives funding that support local projects, such as the Specialist Well-Being Initiative (SWELL).
RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND ONBOARDING
Assist with recruitment, retention and onboarding, including working in partnership with health authorities.
Local FE funding continues to support many recruitment, retention, and onboarding efforts around the province.
MSA EXAMPLES
- Elk Valley Hospital Buddy Program
- Creston Triple R Committee
- University Hospital of Northern BC Onboarding Guide
- More examples
FUTURE EFFORTS
+ An MSA peer-to-peer learning session hosted by FE on recruitment, retention, and onboarding, with examples of effective strategies from across the province. Register here.
+ Leveraging the role of Engagement Partners to help facilitate connections between MSAs and health authority recruitment teams, including clarifying roles and responsibilities, identifying areas of collaboration, and opportunities to partner with community organizations.
INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT
Support increased Indigenous engagement to enhance MSA and health authorities ability to deliver culturally-safe care.
Facility Engagement supports local activities aimed at creating an environment where cultural safety is developed, understood, embraced, and practiced in facilities. Engagement activities include project participation, consultation, cultural work, and/or meeting attendance by elders, knowledge keepers and members of the Indigenous community.
For recommended guidelines, see the FE Funding Guidelines (number 20) for the Joint Clinical Committees (JCC) recommended rates for Indigenous engagement. MSAs are encouraged to use FE funds to support physician engagement with Indigenous partners.
MSA EXAMPLES
- MSA engagement with Indigenous Partners on cultural safety and humility initiatives.
FUTURE EFFORTS
+ Promotion of JCC First Nations community-based experiential learning sessions, which provide a unique relationship-building opportunity for physicians and local First Nation communities. These sessions aim to support physicians in providing culturally safe care by proactively addressing issues relating to Indigenous Specific Anti Racism (ISAR) & Cultural Safety (CS).