Health Minister Ron Liepert says health care changes are not just about cuts. (CBC)

A CBC poll that gives Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert a failing grade reflects on poor communication more than health-care decisions, Liepert said Friday.

"I don't mind admitting that it could have been done better, and so it's not too late to do it better," Liepert said in an interview on Edmonton AM on CBC Radio.

Thirty-three per cent of respondents in a telephone survey conducted Sept. 18 to Sept. 23 said Liepert was doing a poor job, and 21 per cent rated his performance as very poor.

The poll of 804 Albertans is considered accurate within 3.5 percentage points, 95 per cent of the time.

Liepert defended the changes the Conservative government has announced for health care in the province.

These include plans to close 246 psychiatric care beds at Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, a voluntary early-retirement program for health-care workers, closure of 300 hospital beds in Calgary and Edmonton, and the transfer of those patients into community care.

Liepert agreed he's the lightning rod for changes to health care but said policy decisions are never made without the support of the Conservative caucus.

"I don't believe that Albertans understand why we need to make changes and how we're going to make those changes," he said. "And I accept responsibility. I think the entire government accepts responsibility for probably not communicating it as well as we could or should."

The goal is to cut the deficit for Alberta Health Services, the provincial agency that runs health care. The shortfall stood at $1.3-billion at the beginning of this fiscal year.

Changes to improve service, efficiency

But Liepert said the changes are not only about cuts but also about service and efficiency.

"The reality of it is, health-care spending in this province increased by six per cent this year from last year, some $500 million," he said. "We're not going to say everything we do is right, but I'll tell you what. We're going to make some decisions. We're going to change the way some things are delivered, so that the system is more efficient and more patient-focused."

Liepert received some support from Dr. Chip Doig, president of the Alberta Medical Association. The association is critical of some recent government decisions, but Doig said Liepert isn't always to blame.

"This is a fairly critical poll on the performance of the minister," Doig said. "Perhaps it's unfair just to say it about the minister. He's bearing a burden of a broader responsibility and accountability."

Liepert said that over the next six months, he plans to travel Alberta as much as possible to talk about the need for health-care reform.