07 May 2020 – Government releases plan to resume scheduled surgeries and procedures

Type of Intervention: Guidance, Specific Action
Sectors Involved: Health
Intervention Categories: Planning and strategy; Creation of or release of plans
Level of Jurisdiction: Ontario
Lead People/Agency: Premier Doug Ford and Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health
Implementers: Ontario Health, hospitals

Overview: The Ontario government has developed a plan to resume scheduled surgeries and procedures in hospitals. This framework provides hospitals with assistance in assessing their readiness for gradual resumption of these procedures, while maintaining capacity to respond to COVID-19. This plan allows for individual and regional decisions to be made. The framework contains clear criteria that are to be met before scheduled surgeries and procedures can resume, including: a stable number of COVID-19 cases, a stable supply of PPE and medications, an adequate capacity of inpatient and intense care unit beds and of health human resources, and the availability of post-acute care outside the hospital.
Full details here: https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/05/ontario-releases-plan-to-resume-scheduled-surgeries-and-procedures.html

Other links: 1
Type of Justification: Justification given by government officials
Evidence/Justification: There is little justification provided for how the approach to planning for surgeries and procedures was developed, despite the clarity of the framework. Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, announced the approach and explained that it was created to “keep our health care system strong, protect our frontline staff and patients, and ensure our hospitals stay prepared for any potential outbreak or surge of COVID-19”.