Local Services Networks and Health and Social Services Centres
Local Services Networks
The implementation of ninety-five (95) local services networks will lead all stakeholders within a given territory to become responsible for the accessibility and continuity of services offered to their population. This new approach will benefit everyone, in particular the most vulnerable members of the population such as those suffering from mental health problems or chronic illnesses, those nearing the end of life, frail seniors and troubled youth.
For Minister Couillard, « the advantage for the public is in knowing that there is an organization in their community that is responsible for offering them the best services, so they no longer have to navigate their way on their own around the maze that our system all too often becomes. »
Health and Social Services Centres
New institutions known as health and social services centres are found at the heart of each local services network. The health and social services centre were created by merging local community health centers (CLSCs), residential and long-term care centers (CHSLDs) and general and specialized hospital centers (CHSGSs). This new type of institution results from the adoption of the Act Respecting Local Health and Social Services Network Development Agencies (Bill 25) in December 2004.
The creation of Health and social services centres at the heart of the local services networks means that a hierarchy of services must be established to guarantee better complementarity and make it easier for people to move through the primary (general medical and social services), secondary (specialized medical and social services) and tertiary (highly specialized medical and social services) services offered by the entire local services network and all its partners. Each health and social services center must ensure the population on its territory has access to medical services, general and specialized hospital services and social services. To do so, each health and social services centre must enter into service agreements with other partners in its local services network (medical clinics, family medicine groups, youth protection center, rehabilitation center, community organizations, university hospital center, etc.), to provide all the services required by the population, including those it cannot provide on its own. The network of services created in this manner within a single territory thus forms the local services network.
The implementation of Health and social services centres at the heart of local services networks will improve patient follow-up since each of the local networks will essentially become a hub where the public will have easier access to all of the services offered.
In short, the objectives of health and social services centres are the following:
- To promote health and well-being
- To bring together the services offered to the public
- To offer more accessible, better coordinated and seamless services
- To make it easier for people to move through the health and social services network
- To ensure better patient management, particularly of the most vulnerable users
The newly created local services networks as well as the Health and social services centres were the subject of consultations held in spring 2004 by the regional agencies concerned, following the adoption of the Act Respecting Local Health and Social Services Network Development Agencies (Bill 25).
To obtain further information about the regions where the local services networks were implemented, consult the press releases (in French only).
