The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) is responsible for the design, planning and delivery of health and social services across the Northwest Territories.
Established August 1, 2016, the NTHSSA is one of three health and social services authorities in the NWT. It serves the Beaufort-Delta, Sahtu, Dehcho, Yellowknife, and Fort Smith regions of the Northwest Territories, and is responsible for the operation of the Stanton Territorial Hospital.
The NTHSSA is structured under five branches:
- Office of the Chief Executive Officer: Corporate leadership, practitioner leadership, corporate workforce planning, system collaboration, governance support and leadership.
- Clinical Integration: Child, Family and Community Wellness, Quality, Safety and Client Experience, Territorial Health Services.
- Corporate and Support Services: Informatics and Health Technology, Finance, Medical Travel, Project Management, Communications.
- Regional Operations: Diagnostic and curative services, Protection services, Continuing care services, Mental health and addictions services, Rehabilitation services.
- Stanton Territorial Hospital: Acute inpatient and ambulatory care, emergency, surgical, hospitalist, obstetrical, mental health, and anesthesia services in partnership with regional operations.
About the NWT Health and Social Services System
The Health and Social Services System in the Northwest Territories can be broken down into two key areas:
- Health and Social Services Delivery (the Authorities)
- Health and Social Services Promotion and Strategic Planning (the Department)
The Health and Social Services Authorities are responsible for the delivery of Health and Social services, and are funded by the Government of the Northwest Territories through the Department of Health and Social Services.
There are currently three health and social services authorities in the NWT:
- The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA). The NTHSSA delivers health and social services in the Beaufort Delta, Sahtu, Dehcho, Fort Smith, Yellowknife, as well as Stanton Territorial Hospital, and the Hay River Reserve.
- The Hay River Health and Social Services Authority. This authority delivers health and social services to all of Hay River, except the Hay River Reserve.
- The Tłįchǫ Community Services Agency (TCSA) delivers health and social services to the communities of Behchokǫ̀, Gamètì, Whatì and Wekweètì.
The NTHSSA is funded by the Government of the Northwest Territories through the Department of Health and Social Services. The Department is responsible for ministry functions related to health and social services, which include: setting standards and policies, strategic and business planning, resource allocation, and monitoring. The Department also administers the NWT Health Care Plan and provides vital statistics services.
To find out more about the work that led to the establishment of the NTHSSA, see the Caring for Our People Discussion Paper and Plans to Improve the Northwest Territories’ Health and Social Services System.
Forming the NTHSSA
The NTHSSA is the result of a four-year process that examined the health and social services system in the Northwest Territories. Through extensive public and stakeholder engagement, it was determined that while the system in the Northwest Territories was delivering good care, there were a number of areas for improvement and barriers to break down to achieve future innovation.
Prior to the establishment of the NTHSSA, there were eight independent health and social services authorities in the Northwest Territories. This proved to be a systemic barrier to innovation, improving patient care, and efficiency.
As a result of this review process, the NTHSSA was formed by amalgamating six regional health authorities in the Beaufort Delta, Sahtu, Dehcho, Fort Smith, Yellowknife, and Stanton Territorial Hospital. This achieved a number of goals, including:
- Improved coordination of our services;
- Ensured community and regional input into Territorial programs;
- Maximized use of our human resources, facilities and every dollar we spend;
- Making our system more responsive to the needs of our residents; and
- Enhancing frontline and community based patient-client care.
The establishment of the NTHSSA provided a foundation for systemic, ongoing improvements to ensure that we meet these goals. Currently, the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority will continue operations and maintain its own Board of Management, as an interim measure until negotiations are completed to bring the staff of this authority fully into the public service.
The Tłįchǫ Community Services Agency continues to be a Board of Management under the Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act, and will continue to deliver health and social services in Tłįchǫ communities. The establishment of the NTHSSA respects the legislation that established the TCSA, which was implemented as a result of the Tlicho Self-Government Agreement.
Through continued partnership with the Tłįchǫ Community Services Agency and the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, the NTHSSA will continue to make improvements to the entire health and social services system. By working closely with these groups and having their representatives on the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Leadership Council, we will all be able to make improvements to the system together.
Structural Changes
The previous authorities and community services agency operated as corporate structures, governed by separate boards of management whose members were appointed by the Minister of Health and Social Services, and managed by Chief Executive Officers. They have transitioned into:
- One territorial governance board, the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Leadership Council (Leadership Council), with members including the Chairs of regional health and social services advisory bodies, and one Chairperson appointed by the HSS Minister; and
- A series of regional advisory health and social services bodies, known as Regional Wellness Councils, with members appointed by the Minister of HSS.
- The Tłįchǫ Community Services Agency, which continues to be a Board of Management under the Hospital Insurance and Health and Social Services Administration Act, respecting the Tlicho Self Government Agreement.
- The Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, whose employees will remain in their organization until negotiations can be completed at a future point that will allow for them to be brought into the public service.
Working collaboratively with the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority and the Tłįchǫ Community Services Agency, the NTHSSA is part of an integrated NWT health and social services system working under a one-system approach that is more connected to share expertise and resources and improve the overall efficiency of the NWT HSS system.