Look For The Problem Solvers

‍ I envy people who have the ability to challenge and ask questions.

I like to question and challenge because I love to learn. But I don’t feel I have the same instinct I see in others who, even though they respect and admire the people they are working with, can still look for flaws in thinking.

I might say I have been prone to trusting too much because I wanted to have faith in those around me. Faith that they have looked at all the angles and research. Faith that they want the same measurable outcomes I envisioned. Faith that they knew more than me.

It’s, unfortunately, easy to be convinced that a bureaucrat is as invested in a community or person the way an elected official would be. Don’t get me wrong, I know they care. But, in my lived experience, the philosophy of individual approaches are not perceived to be possible to scale to suit the delivery of service to the masses. There needs to be compromises to manage the number of files / patients / organizations.

People within the bureaucracy have processes and management structure that they think gives them the “control” that’s necessary for the system to work.

 A politician sees the individual and impact. They see the outcomes that happen or don’t. It’s hard to explain how different that feels and how frustrating it is when you (a politician) are told it cannot be done.

At the same time, a Minister would be given many examples of how the system was bent to accommodate individuals and how that precedent only led to more accommodations and the system being taken advantage of. What is a Minister to do but to defend process and the people who administer it.

I’ve written about this before in The Advocate Asked Us To Not Look Away. https://www.essentialoutcomesconsulting.com/news/vq89qakxkicx10zsk9y5uczz4qi2qr

When I use the word “innovate”, it is not to say that there is a complete void of it in the bureaucracy.

There are many innovations that have happened within government departments. What government departments have a serious aversion to is utilizing solutions outside of government; proven innovation that does work and usually, works better than government.

There are those who feel that using entities outside of government domain is a slap to public service. I am not one of those. I am of the opinion that government can be small even while delivering big for the public.

Government needs to hold service delivery accountable. Government needs to regulate. But government does not need to deliver every service to the public.

Paying from tax-payer dollars, regulating from within a government department, qualifying outcomes and managing costs can be done while investing in agencies and companies that deliver better services and outcomes is still “public care”.

Not-For-Profit agencies and privately owned companies are not embraced as often as the opportunities arise. Why? I can only conclude it is about control. The government bureaucracy does not want to give up control (as they see it).

This is where the innovation, in my opinion, needs to happen.

Why does the Department of Health need to be processing medical payments to physicians? Why wouldn’t that be tendered out to professional companies who could not only systemize it but also implement automatic auditing processes? Dentists have proved, long ago, that it’s very possible to show patients what their insurance companies are being charged and paying for. Why shouldn’t New Brunswickers understand what their individual health care costs are?

Educating New Brunswickers would also have an added benefit by raising the partnership accountability of services provided by our health care professionals. Such a system could include the RHAs and discharging patients could see what their hospital stay has cost the system (which is taxpayer funded).

When we need to expand Mental Health services, why do we need to build our health care infrastructure larger? Why can’t we utilize the four hundred Licensed Counselling Therapist that are all over the province speaking both official languages? Let’s give the public more control of who they go to for service.

Let’s think about services for older adults. Aging-in-place has been the trumpeted call for nearly two decades. Yet, despite millions of dollars being invested, we are falling short of this reality playing out for many. Older adults who do not have family to assist them are at the mercy of the system choosing their destiny instead of finding the best solutions to empower autonomy.

Who are the problem solvers?

For the most part, it is front-line workers, inside and outside the civil service, who can see the full scope of issues that need to be resolved for an individual or family. Yet, they seem to have the least authority for implementing solutions. Is it for fear of overspending? Even if it is, it goes back to “control”. And that control is in the hands of the few, and they must be convinced the spend is worth it. There are no perfect resolutions to every situation. But every possible attempt should be considered.

In my first blog, Transformative Outcomes, https://www.essentialoutcomesconsulting.com/news/blog-post-title-three-dsftp-egwyq I ask the question: “What if those medical and social service professionals could have a resource to help them ensure every option is on the table for everyone?”

There ARE organizations that can help coordinate the options, especially for helping older adults age-in-place and for those with disability. But there is such resistance to utilizing them because they fall outside government and bureaucrats can’t control them. And there could better ways to coordinate the many services needed for Children and Families. We need to work smarter. The potential is there.

The non-profit and private sectors are more creative, innovative and person-centered than government systems. They will look for options that fall outside the norm but fill the gap. In my opinion, we need to embrace their innovation and expertise. I believe it will save money. I also believe it will greatly enhance the experiences of those government departments that are here to serve individuals and families.

Government regulates and retains accountability.

Look for the problem solvers…and empower them. ‍‍ ‍

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