What is an Integrated Health Service Plan

The Integrated Health Services Plan (IHSP) is the second public presentation of the LHIN’s priorities and strategies for the 3-year period starting in April, 2010. This IHSP recognizes earlier planning work and now focuses on further defining health care system needs and strategies to integrate the local health system.

The IHSP describes priorities, strategies and proposed outcomes for the local health system. It is aligned with provincial priorities of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), as described in the MOHLTC Strategic Plan and the health system scorecard.

The IHSP within the Provincial Context

The IHSP is one of several plans, agreements and actions which together comprise the provincial planning cycle. They include the activities not only of the LHINs themselves, but also of government, and health service providers. These include:

• Accountability Agreements: agreements forged between the MOHLTC and LHINs, as well as the LHINs and health service providers; setting out performance requirements by fiscal year or term.
• Annual Planning Submissions: operational planning submissions by the health service providers to the LHINs and from the LHINs to the MOHLTC.
• Results Based Planning (RBP): the government’s budgeting and planning cycle with multiple milestones for gathering information and reporting to the public.

The MOHLTC follows an annual planning cycle. Each LHIN will also have a planning process, as will each health service provider. The MOHLTC’s Strategic Plan is expected to drive and align other planning activities in the system and articulate the long-term priorities for the LHINs’ IHSPs.

In addition to linking with the ministry’s strategic plan and direction, the IHSP is integrated with other activities. For example:

• The IHSP sets the vision and identifies the integration priorities and initiatives to be delivered within defined resources.
• LHINs’ Annual Service Plan will give more detailed information about available resources and how they will be distributed, as outlined in the IHSP.
• The Accountability Agreement between the LHIN and the ministry will determine such items as the funding to be received by the LHIN, the services and targets each LHIN must achieve with those funds, a plan for spending within the allocation received and the health care and system outcomes expected.