A total of 18 services were recommended for gradual discontinuation over the next few years. The Scoping process was mandated by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care following an Operational Review. This review found that LHSC could not continue to offer all the services it currently does, given the financial realities facing Ontario hospitals.

Note: On December 19, the Board announced that it would reconsider the scoping recommendations for some services, subject to further review in collaboration with the Dean of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario, the MAC, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and senior management.

On January 15, 2001, the Board endorsed all recommendations from medical leadership and management. The services affected include adult heart transplantation, plastic surgery, endovascular aneurysm surgery, radionuclide therapy and pediatric cardiac surgery. (See "News Releases" section for more information.)

On March 26, the Board reversed the original scoping decision on paediatric craniofacial surgery. Final plans to discontinue UV light therapy, dermatology and lung transplants were approved.

The original 18 services identified on October 2 included:

Dermatology Clinics

Obesity Procedures

Ultraviolet Therapy

Cosmetic Surgery

Travel Clinic

Complex Ankle Surgery

Some Sleep Apnea Surgery

Cardiac Transplant (pediatric / adult)

Lung Reduction procedures

Cardiac Arrhythmia surgical procedures

Lung Transplant procedures

Paediatric Cardiac surgery

Bowel Transplant procedures

Complex Paediatric Craniofacial procedures

Burns (>20% adult, >15% pediatric)

Endovascular Aneurysm surgery

Pediatric Rheumatology

Therapeutic Radionuclides (Samarium)

Patients should continue to go to their scheduled appointments. No changes will be made to any service in any program until we have a plan in place to take care of all affected patients. We will notify you well in advance of any changes.

If you or a family member has a medical emergency, call 911 or go immediately to the nearest emergency room. The emergency rooms are not affected by the scoping decisions.

You should plan for your surgery as scheduled. Wherever possible, we will try to treat all patients on the existing waiting list before sending patients to another hospital. If there is a change to your appointment, you will be notified in advance.

As always, your doctor is your best source of information when it comes to your health. If you have questions you still need answered, leave a message on our Community Line at 685-8500, ext. 50150.

Yes! The Clinic is accepting new patients and will continue to monitor, examine, and treat the more than 2,700 patients that rely on its services every year. The only service affected for sleep apnea patients is surgery for mild cases (severity index of less than 20), for which other, less invasive treatments have proven effective.

Yes. To complement some of the better known programs like Ronald McDonald House, the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario (CHWO) Foundation and LHSC have agreed to offer financial assistance for travel and accommodations to families while their child is being treated at the Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto. For more information, contact the CHWO's Manager of Children's Care.

Each physician had unique reasons for his or her decision, and it would be presumptuous of us to speak for these specialists. Staff turnover is part of doing business as an acute care teaching hospital. However, we have successfully recruited 63 specialists to London in the past two years. It is worth noting that there is a significant shortage of medical specialists in Canada, which creates a highly competitive market.

As we proceed with our redevelopment plans, we want to assure our patients, employees, physicians and health care partners that we are fully committed to retaining our current medical and clinical staff and to moving forward with future recruitment initiatives.