
This plan represents our commitment to finding as many ways as possible to work together for each other and our community.
We didn't create this plan on our own. We've known from the beginning of this process that for the plan to be successful, it needed to be informed by the people we work with and serve, who have a stake in a healthier community and a stronger Winnipeg Health Region.
Overview of the 2023-28 Strategic Plan
Shaping Our Plan
100+ Engagement activities and thousands of employees, members of the public, community organizations and service partners provided input as the plan was developed.
Interviews Focus Groups
Small Group Workshops
Facility Visits Surveys
Town Halls Street Outreach
Co-Developed Indigenous Health Strategy
Throughout this process, we have been focused on building relationships with First Nations, Métis and Inuit-led organizations and communities, and engagement with the WRHA Indigenous Health team.
This strategic priority will be co-developed with First Nations, Métis and Inuit-led organizations and communities, as well as the WRHA Indigenous Health team. It will be completed in year one and will be implemented beginning in following years. This will include establishing a governance structure and use measures of progress identified collaboratively. This is part of the WRHA’s commitment to meaningful reconciliation, to closing the gaps in equity of access, quality and health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples and addressing racism in our systems and care environments.
Population Assessed Health Needs
Vision, Mission & Values
Our Vision for the Future
Healthy people. Thriving communities. Partners in care.
Everything we do is in service of everyone achieving their full health potential. We want to not only improve the health of individuals, but the health of communities, and we want the people we work with and serve to have a meaningful stake in their care and the care of their community.
Our Mission
We provide the best health care to every person we serve.
Together, we care by delivering compassionate, timely and quality health services where and when our patients, clients and residents need them.
Our Values

COMPASSION
We listen first, and offer respect, kindness and empathy to find the best ways to help.

COLLABORATION
We work together from the start as diverse teams and communities to make better health and well-being possible for everyone.

INCLUSIVITY
We recognize, respect and learn from the unique needs and contributions of every person in our community.

ACCOUNTABILITY
We hold ourselves and others responsible for actions and results.

INTEGRITY
We demonstrate honesty and transparency in everything we say and do.

EQUITY
We work together to promote conditions and remove barriers so every person can achieve their full health potential.

COMMUNICATION & TRUST
Each of these values requires a foundation and the prioritization of communication and trust between the WRHA and its staff, patients, clients, residents, partners and community.
Goals & Priorities

OUR TEAM
Our team is the foundation of the Winnipeg Health Region. An engaged and healthy workforce is essential to supporting healthy people and communities, and is a critical part of providing the best health services to everyone we care for.

OUR CARE
We continue to place our patients, clients and residents, our staff and our community at the centre of all we do. They deserve a strong, safe and responsive health system that empowers them to become advocates for their health and
well-being, while fostering a collaborative approach to improving our health system.

OUR SYSTEM
To deliver an effective and efficient health care system today and for generations to come, we must innovate and optimize our service delivery in collaboration with our partners, patients, clients, residents and the public. We will incorporate the goals outlined in the provincial Seniors Strategy and Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, and focus on strategies designed to increase access to health services and improve system flow.

FOR ALL
There are many people and communities who face barriers to accessing health services in our region, and we need to do more to better understand, anticipate and meet the needs of the diverse populations we serve. We will align our work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action, and deliver care in a manner that accounts for race, culture, age, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, family status and religion or beliefs.
Progress on our Priorities
Everyone has a voice in a well-performing health care system. To be accountable to you, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority developed this landing page with key performance indicators (KPIs) along with important examples of our progress in realizing the 2023-28 Strategic Plan.
Four specific priority areas were highlighted during the strategic planning process in alignment with the Manitoba Health Provincial Focus Areas. Tied to these priorities are seven key measures of performance we will use to evaluate our progress over time.
This dashboard will be updated quarterly and summarize the previous three months of reporting data, ensuring all of us are working together effectively to put the strategic plan into action.
OUR TEAM
Our team is the foundation of the Winnipeg Health Region. An engaged and healthy workforce is essential to supporting healthy people and communities, and is a critical part of providing the best health services to everyone we care for.
Accomplishments
Boosting nurse leadership and development with improved portal to match skills
A new portal will track three nurse leadership programs, pairing experienced nurses with new nurses along varying markers of compatibility. The programs offer support and guidance with the goal of giving newer nurses the tools they need to succeed in their careers as well as providing leadership development opportunities for experienced nurses who want to grow their career. It's part of a wide range of strategies aimed at improving retention in the region and ensuring we have a strong and well-supported nursing workforce.
WRHA offers competitive wages and paid training to attract new home care attendants: New staff will help to stabilize Home Care services for Winnipeg clients
The high vacancies being experienced across the country among home support workers and home care attendants is prompting the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority to get innovative in its efforts to attract individuals looking for a new career at a competitive salary.
Performance Measure – Workforce Vacancy Rate
What it measures: Percentage of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) vacancies for all labour classes.
Definition, Full Time Equivalent: Refers to the number of hours considered full-time by the employer. For instance, if the employer considers 40 hours full time, and there are two employees working 20 hours per week, those two employees equal 1.0 FTE (0.5 FTE + 0.5 FTE). It considers an employee's scheduled weekly hours divided by the employer's established weekly hours for a full-time work week.
Why it's important: Evaluating vacancy levels will indicate the performance of workforce recruitment and retention programs, as well as identify areas of opportunity to focus efforts. A lower vacancy rate is desired.
How it's calculated: The number of active FTE vacant divided by the total active FTE
Frequency of Reporting: Quarterly
Monthly Performance
Apr 2023
14.4%
May 2023
14.7%
Jun 2023
14.4%
12-Month Performance Trend
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Historical Performance
2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
11.1% | 12.3% | 14.2% | 14.5% |
OUR CARE
We continue to place our patients, clients and residents, our staff and our community at the centre of all we do. They deserve a strong, safe and responsive health system that empowers them to become advocates for their health and well-being, while fostering a collaborative approach to improving our health system.
Accomplishments
Safety Huddles Initiative expands to reach more health care sites and programs
Since launching ‘Safety Huddles' in the fall of 2022 as a pilot project, more than 176 units across the WRHA have adopted the practice. Safety Huddles are led by the Quality and Patient Safety Teams and take place at the unit level during the same time each day for 15 minutes. These forums give everyone from the nurses to the allied health professionals to the patients and caregivers a voice to improve safety for patients and well-being in the workplace.
Performance Measure – Emergency / Urgent Care Wait Times – Median
What it measures: This is the time between the earlier stage of triage or registration, and the physician's initial assessment. Median represents the middle wait time recorded from all of the wait times experienced through the reporting period.
Why it's important: Time is a crucial indicator of patient care outcomes and care delivery effectiveness. A lower median wait time is desired because it indicates half of patients presenting to Emergency / Urgent Care waited less than this time to be seen by a physician.
How it's calculated: Registration/Triage time minus the time of initial physician assessment. The median is obtained by ordering all wait times from least to greatest and then identifies the wait time number in the exact middle of the dataset.
Frequency of Reporting: Quarterly
Note: Provincial target to be confirmed for 23/24
Excludes Health Sciences Centre (operated by Shared Health)

Monthly Performance
Apr 2023
2.93 hrs
May 2023
2.88 hrs
Jun 2023
3.15 hrs
12-Month Performance Trend
Excludes Health Sciences Centre, including Adult & Children’s Emergency Departments
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Historical Performance
2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
1.8 hrs | 2.1 hrs | 1.4 hrs | 2.4 hrs | 3.3 hrs |
Performance Measure – Service Experience Score
What it measures: The average experience score for services received at a WRHA facility, on a scale from 0 (very poor experience) to 10 (very good experience).
Why it's important: Positive experience scores are associated with improved quality of care. It is critical to gather information about patient experiences to identify gaps in care and opportunities for improvement. A higher percentage is desired.
How it's calculated: Add all experience scores received during the reporting period and divide by the total number of survey responses.
Frequency of Reporting: Quarterly
Note: Provincial target to be confirmed for 23/24

Monthly Performance
Apr 2023
8.7
May 2023
8.7
Jun 2023
8.9
12-Month Performance Trend
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Additional performance measures are under development.
OUR SYSTEM
To deliver an effective and efficient health care system today and for generations to come, we must innovate and optimize our service delivery in collaboration with our partners, patients, clients, residents and the public. We will incorporate the goals outlined in the provincial Seniors Strategy and Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, and focus on strategies designed to increase access to health services and improve system flow.
Accomplishments
Home Care Staff & Clients to Benefit from New App
The WRHA, in partnership with Victoria Hospital Foundation, is announcing a new initiative for Home Care staff aimed at improving client care and efficiencies. Following staff feedback during engagement sessions, the Procura AlayaCare Mobile App will be installed on smartphones provided to staff and will give employees the tools they need to provide the highest quality care by allowing real-time access to client schedules, increasing safety, and enhancing communication.
New operating room at Concordia Hospital: Increased capacity for hip and knee surgeries to help reduce wait lists and improve timely access to care
Media announcement issued jointly by the Province of Manitoba and WRHA on June 19, 2023
Additional ICU beds for Grace Hospital: Province to work with WRHA and Foundation to modernize and expand Grace critical care unit
Media announcement issued jointly by the Province of Manitoba and WRHA on April 30, 2023
Performance Measure – Sector Expenditure Ratios
What it measures: The percentage of health care operational costs spent on Acute Care, Community Health Services, Continuing Care and Medical Remuneration.
- Acute Care: includes care for treatment of a disease or health episode primarily delivered in hospitals (e.g. Emergency, Critical Care, Inpatient Medicine)
- Community Health Services: includes delivery of public health, home care, primary care and select social/community programs funded by the WRHA
- Continuing Care: provides a continuum of medical and social services to support the needs of people living with chronic health problems, including personal care homes
- Medical Remuneration: The amount paid to physicians, either through physician claims to Manitoba Health or salaries.
Why it's important: Monitoring where health care operational costs are being allocated indicates when adjustments and action plans are required to support clinical activities. Higher percentages indicate a larger portion of expenditures are incurred in that particular sector, while lower percentages indicate a smaller portion of expenditures are incurred in the sector.
How it's calculated:

Frequency of Reporting: Annually
Annual Performance (2022/23)
Acute Care
43.6%
Community Health Services
20.8%
Continuing Care
24.7%
Medical Remuneration
10.9%
Annual Performance Trend
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Performance Measure – Overall Financial Position
What it measures: A summary of financial performance between the beginning of the year and the current date, compared to the budgeted financial performance from the beginning of the year to the current date.
Why it’s important: Monitoring actual expenditures against budgeted projections is an indicator of the long-term sustainability and financial performance of the health care system. When actual expenditures exceed the proposed budget, a deficit position is recorded. When expenditures are below the proposed budget a surplus is recorded.
How it’s calculated: Year-to-Date Expenditures minus Year-to-Date Budget.
Frequency of Reporting: Annually
Annual Performance
2022/2023
Balanced (Core Operations)
Annual Performance Trend
Not presented.
FOR ALL
There are many people and communities who face barriers to accessing health services in our region, and we need to do more to better understand, anticipate and meet the needs of the diverse populations we serve. We will align our work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, and deliver care in a manner that accounts for race, culture, age, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, family status and religion or beliefs.
Accomplishments
Harnessing community perspectives plays a role in the patient-public journey with healthcare
Journey Mapping workshops of the patient experience led volunteer public advisory councils (LHIGs) to recommend an audit and overhaul of WRHA-websites as primary omni-channel service methods to strengthen communication with the public and build awareness of available services.
Collecting Race, Ethnicity and Indigenous (REI) data: The WRHA is part of a province-wide initiative to collect REI data from patients to understand how health care can better serve diverse communities
Media release issued by Shared Health on May 3, 2023
Performance Measure – Advisory Council Participation
What it measures: A summary of individuals who attended specific committees or activities designed to integrate their lived experiences into health care service delivery planning and decision-making.
Why it's important: Active participation and attendance at advisory councils by patient, family and public advisory members can help to inform policies and decision-making as well as the quality of services and programs delivered in health care. A higher participation rate is preferred.
How it's calculated: The number of engagement opportunities (e.g. meetings) and actual attendance at those engagements. This indicator includes attendance at Local Health Involvement Groups and the Regional Patient and Family Advisory Council.
Monthly Performance
Feb 2023
6
engagements
35
attended
Mar 2023
6
engagements
35
attended
Jun 2023
1
engagements
31
attended
12-Month Performance Trend
Not presented.
Additional performance measures are under development.
FEEDBACK
Together, we care; we want to change the way we do things, and this is an opportunity for us all to do just that. We look forward to working with you, our community, to achieve our mission of providing the best health care to every person we serve.
Questions or feedback about the current or new strategic plan can be directed to Client Relations, 204-926-7825, or ClientRelations@wrha.mb.ca.