Accountability

Francais

The WWLHIN's Responsibilities 

Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) were created across the Province of Ontario in recognition that health care services are best managed at the local level.  Residents in Waterloo Wellington, who have an interest in health care in their community, have a forum through the Waterloo Wellington LHIN (WWLHIN), to have their ideas and concerns heard.

The LHINs are non-profit organizations funded by the Government of Ontario, through the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC).  LHINs are responsible for planning, coordinating, integrating and providing funding to local health service providers to create a system that is person-centered, integrated, and sustainable.

The WWLHIN is bound by the Local Health System Integration Act 2006 and is accountable to the residents of our local planning area as well as the MOHLTC. 

The work of the WWLHIN is guided by a Ministry/LHIN Performance Agreement (MLPA) which defines the obligations and responsibilities of the LHIN and the Ministry.

In turn, the WWLHIN has accountability agreements with health service providers of Waterloo Wellington which outline the responsibilities and accountabilities of each health service provider and include performance delivery targets. 

Scope of Responsibility 

The scope of the WWLHIN's responsibility includes Waterloo Region, Wellington County (including the City of Guelph) and south Grey County:

• one Community Care Access Centre
• four Community Health Centres operating four satellites.
• 21 Community Addictions and Mental Health Services
• 33 Community Support Services
• eight hospital corporations (including one specialty hospital) operating at 10 sites
• 34 Long-Term Care Homes

Investment 

The WWLHIN is responsible for funding 77 health service providers who deliver over 100 programs and services.  Every year, the WWLHIN invests more than $920 million in our local health care system.

LHINs are not responsible for funding physicians, ambulance services, laboratories, provincial drug programs and individualized care.

French Language Health Planning Entity for WW and HNHB LHINs

In 2010, the Honourable Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long Term Care, named six French language health planning entities that will provide the province’s 14 LHINs with guidance on the following items, pursuant to Ontario Regulation 515/09 Engagement with the Francophone Community under the Local Health System Integration Act, 2006 (LHSIA):

• methods of engaging the Francophone community in the area;
• the health needs and priorities of the Francophone community in the area, including the needs and priorities of diverse groups within that community; the health services available to the Francophone community in the area;
• the identification and designation of health service providers for the provision of French language health services in the area;
• strategies to improve access to, accessibility of and integration of French language health services in the local health system; and,
• the planning for and integration of health services in the area.

The Entité de planification pour les services en français dans les régions de Waterloo, Wellington, Hamilton, Niagara will collaborate with the HNHB and WW LHINs to respond to the unique health needs of Francophones in these two areas of the province. According to the 2006 Census, there are more than 28,000 Francophone people living in the HNHB LHIN, which represents 2.2 per cent of the LHIN’s population. In the WW LHIN, there are more than 11,500 Francophone residents.

Accountability Agreement with Entité de planification pour les services en français dans les régions de Waterloo, Wellington, Hamilton, Niagara

Annual Business Plan 

Each year the WWLHIN is required to submit an Annual Business Plan (ABP) to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

The purpose of the Annual Business Plan is to outline how we will continue to implement our Integrated Health Service Plan (IHSP). It is designed to meet the reporting requirements outlined in the MLAA and feeds into the Ministry’s results-based planning and budget processes.

Please click on the links below for a copy of the current Annual Business Plans for the Waterloo Wellington LHIN.

Decision Making Framework Toolkit

Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) are mandated to plan, integrate and fund health services in Ontario across the continuum of care while engaging communities in setting local health service priorities. In addressing this mandate, LHINs are faced with setting priorities and making decisions about how best to meet community health needs in the context of competing system goals, multiple stakeholder interests and limited resources.  In order to do this, all LHINs apply frameworks to support priority setting and decision making in a variety of contexts, such as approving health programs and services, allocating or reallocating funding to health service providers (HSPs), and setting planning priorities.

This priority setting and decision making framework toolkit addresses the identified system need by describing a consistent framework with clear, understandable criteria that all LHINs should use to support all priority setting and decision making. 

Click here to download the LHIN decision making framework toolkit