Transforming Women and Children’s Care
At SHN, we’re working to provide you and your family with the best care.
Scarborough Health Network (SHN) is transforming care for our community by looking at how best to deliver our services to provide the highest quality specialized care that patients and families need, when they need it, right here in Scarborough — and we started with our Women and Children’s program.
SHN nurses, midwives, physicians, and allied-health staff collaborated with community members, patients, family members, and external experts to develop a new service-delivery plan.
New Service Model
CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE
Leading program focused on best practices
STANDARDIZED CARE
Same level of exceptional care across health network
CARE IN SCARBOROUGH
High-quality, specialized care available in the community
NETWORK OF EXPERTS
Bringing together leading specialists in the field
Comprehensive and Connected Services
Our Scarborough community will have access to the following women and children's services across our connected health network. Click each service to view where they can be accessed.
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For Obsetrics/Gynecology and Paediatrics
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Innovative Care Delivery
Kids Pass
Children brought to the ED are quickly assessed, and appropriate patients go to the Kids Pass clinic for further consultation by a paediatrician.
Kids After Hours Clinic
Walk-in clinic for children who have common medical issues to be seen by a paediatrician. No referrals necessary.
Kids Short Stay Clinic
Paediatric patients coming to the Birchmount ED who need further consultation by a paediatrician and nurse, and who are hemodynamically stable will be seen in the clinic.
Integrated Family Care Rounds
SHN is adopting Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health guidelines for building effective integrated care teams.
OBGYN Clinics
Specialized clinics for expectant parents who experience complications or high risk conditions:
- Early Pregnancy and Urgent Gynecology Clinic (General)
- Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic (Centenary)
- Obstetrical Medicine Clinic (Birchmount)
Moving Forward with Implementation
After a year of planning, research, consultation, and collaboration, SHN’s Women and Children’s program is heading into a busy autumn, as we gear up to develop centres of excellence for paediatrics –newly named: SHN Kids Care, obstetrics, and neonatal intensive care.
Timelines for move
On Wednesday, October 30, we took a big step toward transformation. The birthing, neonatal intensive care unit, and SHN Kids Care teams welcomed patients and families to new and expanded spaces at the Centenary and General hospitals.
These are important steps toward developing centres of excellence in Women and Children’s care at our Centenary and General hospitals.
Our top priority is our patients’ safety, particularly during this time of transition. SHN physicians, nurses, and clinical interprofessional staff have developed comprehensive and evidence-based safety protocols for the transition and ongoing care for our patients and their families. Here’s a recap of the week of our big move:
MONDAY, OCTOBER 28
SHN Kids Care at the General hospital moved into a bright, newly renovated space on the first floor of the Crockford Pavillion (CP1). The new space includes an inpatient unit, a new Kids Care After-Hours clinic, and the Kids Care Consultation and Day clinics
On Monday afternoon, the sound of giggles and excited voices filled the hallways as young patients, their families, and the care team settled in. The paediatric inpatient unit at Birchmount hospital closed, and the dedicated staff joined their colleagues at Centenary and General hospitals, strengthening the interprofessional teams that care for children from across Scarborough.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29
The brand new Kids Short Stay clinic opened at Birchmount hospital!
The Kids Short Stay Clinic will care for children who visit the Birchmount Emergency Department and who need follow-up care from paediatric specialists.
The new clinic is located on the second floor, in the former Clinical Day Unit space.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30
Bright and early on Wednesday, the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) at Centenary and General hospitals welcomed new babies and families who transferred from Birchmount hospital.
Each baby was accompanied by their primary nurse from Birchmount hospital, who ensured their safety and comfort during the journey. The babies and their families were warmly welcomed by our teams – and some even got their first Halloween costumes!
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30
Capping off an incredible, thirty-five year legacy of care, Birchmount hospital’s Family Maternity Centre admitted its last expectant parents and welcomed two special babies.
Kelvin and Kayla welcomed baby Kayleb at 1:30 a.m. on October 30. Kayla, who was born at Birchmount hospital along with her siblings, was happy to carry on the legacy by giving birth to her son here, and looks forward to telling him about his special status as one of the last babies at the hospital. The couple is especially thankful to the care team for the great birthing experience.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31
Kandee and Kayal welcomed their bundle of joy, at 1 a.m. on October 31. Mom and dad are so filled with love and are getting to know their sweet baby boy before they pick the name that best suits his adorable little personality. Kandee and Kayal’s first child was born at Birchmount hospital; the couple is so thankful and appreciative to the staff for making them feel comfortable and taken care of during their birthing experience.
The Early Pregnancy Assessment and Urgent Gynecology clinics moved from Birchmount hospital to General hospital, and the Maternal Fetal Medicine and Obstetrical Medicine clinics moved from Birchmount hospital to Centenary hospital. All clinics will continue to provide comprehensive care for expectant parents and babies.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1
As the teams settled in to their new locations and configurations, the focus was on getting the new Kids Care After-Hours clinic ready to open at the General hospital.
The clinic, located in the Kids Care space on CP1, is Scarborough’s first after-hours walk-in clinic specifically for children. The clinic will be open from 5 – 9 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on weekends and holidays, and will treat babies, children and teens who need urgent, but not emergency, care. The clinic will be staffed by a paediatrician and specialized pediatric nurse, who will provide accessible, high-quality care for all families in Scarborough.
The changes and moves were successful because of the tremendous amount of planning, preparation, and professionalism of the Women and Children’s team and colleagues from other impacted departments over the past year. This marks an important milestone as we transform women and children’s care in Scarborough, and as our programs and services evolve to meet our community’s needs.
The teams’ dedication to patient safety and high quality care, as well as supporting each other through the process, was exceptional and inspiring. This transformation will allow our team to expand their expertise in treating women with high-risk pregnancies, and newborns, children and teens with complex and specialized needs. It will also reduce patient transfers from Scarborough to downtown hospitals, making it possible for more Scarborough families to receive the care they need, right here in Scarborough.
With these exciting and positive changes, SHN continues to shape the future of care for people in Scarborough, and transform health care for women and children today, and lead young lives to a healthier tomorrow.
Skills training for nurses
The Women and Children’s team hosted skills-building workshops to support emergency and paediatric nurses. The workshops were an exciting educational opportunity, bringing staff from all three hospitals together to meet each other, learn together, and share their experiences in caring for children, babies, and expectant parents. More than 300 emergency and paediatric nurses have enhanced their skills through this training.
High-risk situation simulations
In mid-October, SHN physicians, midwives, and allied health professionals will join colleagues from the Sunnybrook Canadian Simulation Centre for an accredited simulation activity. The simulations will focus on high-risk health scenarios for children, babies, and expectant parents who need care at SHN’s Emergency Departments or need to be transferred between SHN hospitals.
Refreshing and renovating facilities
Refreshing and upgrading the Family Birthing Centres and Neonatal Intensive Care Units is underway at the Centenary and General hospitals. And the brand new paediatrics unit and Kids Clinics at the General hospital are taking shape. We are also creating specific child- and family-friendly spaces in all of SHN’s Emergency Departments and opening a new Kids Short Stay Clinic at Birchmount hospital.
Learn More
Background information
Over several months, a committee of people who know the program best – doctors, midwives, nurses, patients, and families – studied options, consulted with experts and received advice, ideas, and suggestions from hundreds community members about how to provide the best possible care for Scarborough’s women and children.
This very thorough review process was led by the medical team in our Women’s and Children’s program – not SHN administrators.
The review committee recommended that SHN reinvest in our birthing and children’s care at the Centenary and General hospitals. In January 2019, SHN’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the recommendation to reinvest in the Women’s and Children’s program at the Centenary and General hospitals.
With this change, SHN will be able to re-imagine how we deliver our Women’s and Children’s program. It will allow our team to strengthen their skills and increase their expertise in caring for women with high-risk pregnancies, and newborns and children with complex and specialized needs. We will be able to set a new standard for high-quality care and patient safety, and deliver exceptional services for patients today and tomorrow.
Check out resources
SHN Board of Directors approves plan to begin shaping the future of care in Scarborough (January 25, 2019)
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