Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Recognized for its Commitment to Excellence in Renal Care

Ontario Health (Ontario Renal Network) has recognized the North West Regional Renal Program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) for its commitment to excellence in care for renal patients.

“I would like to thank the dedicated North West Regional Renal Program team for all of their hard work and the progress they have made,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO of TBRHSC and CEO of Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. “This team exemplifies our commitment to patient experience, with their focus on high quality care, and improving coordination and support for patients with chronic kidney disease.”

“This recognition from [Ontario Health] Ontario Renal Network underscores the resilience, collaboration and commitment of the employees of the North West Regional Renal Program to making a difference in the lives of renal patients across Northwestern Ontario,” stated Adam Vinet, Vice President, Patient Experience and Chief Nursing Executive and Regional Vice President, Regional Cancer Care. “Congratulations to the Renal Program team, a hardworking and dedicated group of individuals who provide exceptional care to the patients we serve.”

In 2023-24, TBRHSC’s North West Regional Renal Program has made significant improvements in the way kidney care services are delivered and managed in Northwestern Ontario.

“In addition to this outstanding recognition, our team has accomplished a high annual growth rate for the Vascular Access Wait Time (Priority 3) performance indicator, which is the proportion of patients receiving access to surgery within the recommended timeframe,” remarked Wayne Taylor, Director, Cardiovascular, Medicine and Renal Program. “Our program’s rate grew by 143.8% this past year, the first highest annual relative growth amongst all programs in the province. Congratulations to the team on this well deserved achievement.”

Based on performance indicators set out by Ontario Health, the team met or exceeded the following targets:

• achieved the annual target on the Multi-Care Kidney Clinic (MCKC) 12-Month Follow-Up Prior to Dialysis Initiation performance indicator by scoring 83.3% in Q3 of the 2023/24 fiscal year;
• achieved the high annual growth rate in the Home Dialysis Prevalence performance indicator, where our Regional Renal Program’s average growth rate increased by 7.6% during the 2023/24 fiscal year; the second highest annual relative growth amongst all programs in the province;
• attained the annual target on the Goals of Care performance indicator by surpassing 74.0 % for Q4 of the 2023/24 fiscal year;
• reached the annual target on the Deferred Dialysis performance indicator by achieving a score of 86.9% in Q3 of the 2023/24 fiscal year.

Performance indicators look at how parts of the renal system work and provides a standard way of measuring an area of focus. They are a tool used with the goal of improving outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease. By capturing and comparing data, it helps to identify opportunities to improve system quality, performance and planning.

To learn more about Ontario Health’s measurement of system performance, please visit https://www.ontariorenalnetwork.ca/en/renal-network-data/performance-data/renal-system-performance-report