The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is taking a look at what impact changes to the health care system have had thusfar, before it begins implementing phase two of a process that will, among other things, see the number of Winnipeg hospitals with emergency departments brought down to three.

The interim evaluation, released today, says wait times and length of stay are down for emergency departments and urgent care since phase one changes were implemented last October, but the wait list for sub-acute care, a new model of service currently provided at Victoria Hospital, is growing. Length of stay for inpatients is also down region-wide, while clinical assessment unit stays have been longer than expected.

"The wait list for the new sub-acute care service... appears to be creating a new bottleneck in the system," says the report. The report says sub-acute units have been fully occupied since opening, and the growing wait list is perceived as a barrier to acces when it comes to referrals.

Through phase two changes, Seven Oaks and Concordia, like Victoria, will specialize in sub-acute and transitional care.

"We knew going into phase one that we were only going to be able to actually create a third of the sub-acute capacity we knew we were going to need. You know, because the remaining sub-acute capacity is tied to the changes at Seven Oaks and Concordia," says acting chief operating officer for the WRHA Lori Lamont.

Lamont says the health region will pay attention to the report's recommendation to look for ways to increase sub-acute capacity as soon as possible.

Phase two of the process also includes closing emergency departments at Concordia and Seven Oaks, with an urgent care centre opening at Seven Oaks.

Also among the 19 recommendations in today's report is a call to improve communication with staff. The report says 51.7 per cent of front line staff surveyed learned about phase one changes to the health system through the media, and some described internal communications as inconsistent. 68 per cent did not feel they were adequately informed of phase one decisions that impacted their role.

According to Lamont, the health region recognizes uncertainty about phase two's planning is leading to some anxiety, but says it would be more difficult for staff to be given information that isn't finalized and may change.

The evaluation was done by the George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation research team, with input from clinical and operations leaders in the region and the leadership of Shared Health.