Please note: italicized
terms marked with an asterisk are
defined in the Glossary of Terms
Acknowledgements
The completion of the Strategic Plan of the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit 2001 to 2003 required considerable work on the part of many people, both within and external to the Health Unit. Consultation was sought with all the Health Unit's staff and Board of Health members. In addition to this, the executive directors of many partner agencies were surveyed. The contribution of these people was essential to the Plan's creation.
Commendations are also extended to the members of the Health Unit Strategic Planning Task Force. The membership of this Task Force was chosen to be representative of the Health Unit, and was as follows:
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• |
Tammy Anderson, Administrative
Assistant, Corporate Services, Brockville Office |
| • |
Faye Brooks, Director of Community and Family Health
Services, Smiths Falls Office |
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Brent Dalgleish, Director of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease
Prevention, Brockville Office |
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Jean Eppich, Clerical
Staff, Community and Family Health Services, Almonte Office |
| • |
Charles Gardner, Medical Officer of
Health, Brockville Office |
| • |
Shani Gates, Planning and Evaluation
Consultant, Office of the Medical Officer of Health, Brockville Office |
| • |
Barb Guthrie, Public Health
Nurse, Community and Family Health Services (and was working in both the Health Protection Department and in Clinical Services at the beginning of the strategic planning process), Smiths Falls Office |
| • |
Dianne Oickle, Public Health
Nutritionist, Community and Family Health Services, Smiths Falls Office |
| • |
John Welch, Public Health
Inspector, Health Protection Department, Brockville Office |
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Bill Widenmaier, Chair of the Board of Health |
Appreciation is expressed for the contribution made by Heather Bruce, who provided administrative assistance to the Health Unit Strategic Planning Task Force, and to Susan Healey who designed the aesthetic layout for the
printed document. Also essential was the contribution made by Terry Whyte and
Deborah Hall, from Templeman Consulting Group Incorporated, who worked with the Task Force in the creation of the Strategic Plan.
In closing I wish to thank the Health Unit staff members, the members of the Board of Health, and members of our partner agencies who contributed their time, and provided their insights and views to help shape and create our Strategic Plan.
Charles E. Gardner, MD, CCFP, MHSc, FRCPC
Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer
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Introduction
A strategic plan is a road map that documents the overall mission, beliefs and values, issues and goals of an agency. In order for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit to be effective, it is critical that its mandate be appropriate and be clearly understood. A good strategic plan can do much to ensure the appropriateness of an agency's mission, and its effectiveness in the pursuit of this mission. To be successful, a strategic plan must represent the collective views and interests of an agency as a whole. This includes the governing board, staff, and partner agencies. Consideration must be given to the strategic planning process itself, if it is to successfully capture and document the collective view on an agency's mission, beliefs and values, strategic issues, and strategic goals. In such a process, there needs to be active, broad, systematic consultation.
The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit has had strategic plans in the past, the last one having ended in 1997. In addition to this, the Health Unit has had a history of pursuing strategic goals and activities. Examples of these include the Marketing Strategic Plan, approved by the Board of Health in February, 2000, and the Long Range Resource Planning Options 1999-2004 approved by Board in April, 1999. The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit Strategic Plan 2001 to 2003 builds on the strategic plans of the past and has been written with the intention of uniting these strategic endeavors into an overall framework, rather than recreating or excluding them.
The Strategic Goals of the Strategic Plan 2001 to 2003 are framed as outcomes expressed in idealistic language. An example of this is the goal that "The Health Unit will have necessary resources to fulfill its mandate and meet the needs of the community". It should be noted that the Strategic Plan 2001 to
20031 expresses ideals that are newly packaged, but does not contain concepts that are entirely new to the Health Unit. Most of these goals have in fact been pursued for many years with degrees of success by the Board and the staff of the Health Unit. Thus the Strategic Plan 2001 to 2003 does not provide us with more work so much as it provides us with a clarification and a reorganization of the Health Unit's major tasks for the years to come.
1 within this document the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit Strategic Plan 2001 to 2003 is also referred to as the Strategic Plan 2001 to 2003 or simply as the Strategic Plan
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Methods used to create the Strategic Plan
In order to address the issues noted above, the following approach to the creation of this Strategic Plan was taken. A consulting firm was contracted to facilitate the strategic planning process. The consultants were selected by senior staff and by the Board of Health using a bidding process among a group of prospective consultants. The consultants that participated in this competition had been recommended to the Medical Officer of Health by the executive directors of partner agencies and by the management of the Health Unit.
The consultants who were selected then worked with the Board and management to determine the details of the strategic planning process. A Health Unit Strategic Planning Task Force was created with Board, management and staff representation to work with the consultants.
The process itself included a series of consultations with the Board, management, staff, and partner agencies to identify common views and themes. An initial meeting was held between the consultants, the Board of Health members, management and the members of the Health Unit Strategic Planning Task Force to determine the strategic planning process and to commence the process with a review of the previous strategic plan for the Health Unit. Subsequently the consultants conducted a survey of the staff of the Health Unit, following which they did staff focus groups. A survey of the executive directors of partner agencies / stakeholder groups was also done.
The resulting information was then reviewed by the Health Unit Strategic Planning Task Force. Taking this information into account, the Health Unit Strategic Planning Task Force revised the Mission Statement, and the Statement of Beliefs and Values, and identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the internal and external environments.
Based on the results of these reviews, the Health Unit Strategic Planning Task Force drafted the Strategic Issues and Strategic Goals. Appended to the Strategic Plan is a Glossary of Terms. The draft Strategic Plan was then presented to the staff of the Health Unit for final revision. The Health Unit Strategic Plan was then approved by the Board of Health in March, 2001.
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The intended use for the Strategic Plan
It is intended that the Strategic Plan be used as a template in the drafting of the annual Health Unit Operational Plan for each of the years 2001 to 2003. Activities will be determined in these annual Operational Plans that address the Strategic Goals of the Strategic Plan. At the end of each of these years the status on these activities will be recorded in the completed form of the Health Unit Operational Plan. This will allow progress on the Strategic Goals to be monitored over time. Progress on the Strategic Goals will be reported to the Board of Health and to Health Unit staff, with citation to the completed annual Health Unit Operational Plans. Progress reporting will be done to the community yearly within the Annual Report of the Health Unit.
It is also intended that the Strategic Plan be considered by both staff and Board of Health members in our daily working activities. To this end, the Mission Statement and the Statement of Beliefs and Values will be displayed prominently within the Health Unit in each of the offices. Also the Strategic Plan will be available on the Health Unit website and intranet site, and its contents incorporated in department plans, and policy and procedure manuals.
The Strategic Plan will be reviewed near the end of December 2003 for its appropriateness and to assess progress made on the Strategic Goals. It is intended that a group similar to the Health Unit Strategic Planning Task Force be created at that time to fulfill this task.
This report can be found on the Health Unit Website at
www.healthunit.org. Comments on the report can be directed to Dr. Charles Gardner, Medical Officer of Health of the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit at 613-345-5685.
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Mission Statement
As the public health unit for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark, we work with the community to protect, promote and enhance health by determining issues, and developing and providing quality
preventative health programs and services *.
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Statement of Beliefs and Values
As the public health unit for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark, we:
- value health, and believe that it is essential to quality of life;
-
define health and its determinants broadly, including physical, emotional,
- environmental, economic, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects;
- believe that prevention is the most effective way to achieve health;
- believe in working with populations to achieve health;
- believe every person has value and should be treated with respect;
- believe that individuals, organizations and communities share responsibility to achieve and maintain health;
- believe that our approach to a healthy community must be multi-faceted;
- believe that our programs and services must be accessible and effective;
- believe we must be proactive and responsive in addressing the health needs of the community;
- believe that we are accountable to our communities;
- believe in a commitment to continuous quality improvement;
- believe that our workplace must reflect and reinforce these principles.
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Health Unit Strategic Issues
Leadership *: How can we promote understanding and consensus regarding the Health Unit mission, and beliefs and values among Board members, staff * and the community? How can we create an environment that enables leadership, teamwork and cooperation toward a common purpose?
Quality Improvement *: How can we ensure that on a continuing basis, the principles and processes of quality improvement will be applied to all programs, services and functions of the Health Unit?
Planning: How can we ensure that programs and services meet the needs of the community and fulfill our mandates? How can we plan and implement our programs in an efficient and effective manner, involving the community?
Human,
Financial & Physical Resources: How can we ensure that we have the human, financial and physical resources necessary to fulfill our mission and mandates? How can we allocate and manage our resources in an efficient and effective manner?
Health Unit's
Culture: How can we create and maintain a workplace culture that optimizes trust, respect, responsibility, and communication, and that reflects and reinforces the health principles and practices we promote?
Technology: How can we use technology in an effective and efficient manner that supports and enhances the provision of our programs and services?
Accessibility: How can we provide programs and services that are accessible to all members of the community?
Partnerships: How can we strengthen and improve upon our current partnership activities? How can we build new partnerships to assist in the fulfillment of our mission and mandates?
Marketing: How can we enhance the promotion of our programs and raise the profile of the Health Unit so that community awareness and understanding of our mission and role increases?
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Health Unit Strategic Goals
LEADERSHIP *
- The members of the Board will have a clear understanding of the Health Unit's mission, beliefs and values, strategic issues and strategic goals, and will consistently use them in their governance decision-making processes.
- All staff will have a clear understanding of the Health Unit's mission, beliefs and values, strategic issues and strategic goals, and will consistently use them in their decision-making processes.
- All Health Unit activities will be consistent with the Health Unit's mission, beliefs and values, strategic issues and strategic goals.
- Health Unit partners will have an awareness of the Health Unit's programs and services, as well as a clear understanding of the mission, beliefs and values, strategic issues and strategic goals.
- The senior management team will demonstrate a commitment to strong leadership, quality improvement and the Health Unit's mission, beliefs and values, and strategic goals.
- The senior management team will be enabled to reach its full leadership potential.
- Members of the senior management team will work together to reduce barriers between functions, and promote teamwork and open communication.
- The Health Unit will demonstrate a proactive response consistent with its mission and beliefs and values in its response to competing
health paradigms *.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT *
- On a continuing basis, the principles and processes of
quality improvement * will be applied to all programs, services and functions of the Health Unit
PLANNING
- Health Unit programs and activities will be consistently planned and implemented based on community health status information and in accordance with
evidence-based planning principles *.
- Health Unit resources will support activities, programs and services that are prioritized according to clearly defined principles/criteria.
- Health Unit partners, clients and the community at large will be involved in the Health Unit program planning process.
HUMAN, FINANCIAL AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES
- The Health Unit will have the
necessary resources * to fulfill its mandate and meet the needs of the community.
- The Health Unit will continue to manage its resources in an efficient, effective and consistent manner that supports the mission, and beliefs and values, and is based on established principles/criteria.
HEALTH UNIT'S CULTURE
- The Health Unit's environment will maintain and promote trust, respect and honest, open and direct communication.
- The Health Unit will consistently acknowledge
staff * contributions that reflect the mission, beliefs and values, and strategic goals.
- All staff * will work together to identify and reduce barriers between departments, and promote teamwork and co-operation to facilitate their best work.
- In order to achieve organizational goals, individual
staff * will be encouraged to be innovative and creative within the context of their team.
- 5. The Health Unit workplace environment will reflect the Health Unit's beliefs and values.
TECHNOLOGY
- Health Unit staff will have the best available technology to fulfill the Health Unit's mandate in meeting the needs of the community.
- Health Unit staff will continue to use technology in an efficient, effective and appropriate manner.
ACCESSIBILITY *
- The Health Unit will provide programs and services that are accessible to the community.
- Health Unit programs and services will be equitably distributed throughout the tri-county.
PARTNERSHIPS
- Health Unit partners will have an awareness of the Health Unit's programs and services, as well as a clear understanding of the mission, beliefs and values, strategic issues and strategic goals.
- The Health Unit will establish and maintain co-operative working relationships with partners / stakeholders in order to enhance programs and services.
- The Health Unit will support and encourage staff participation in partnership activities that are consistent with the Health Unit's mission, beliefs and values, and strategic goals.
- The Health Unit will be a resource to partners with respect to providing a picture of the community's health status.
MARKETING
- The community will be aware of the programs and services of the Health Unit, as well as its mission, beliefs and values, strategic issues, and strategic goals.
- The community will recognize the value and the unique characteristics of the Health Unit's staff and programs/services.
- The Health Unit will develop and foster an internal culture that supports and encourages staff involvement in marketing activities.
- Human and financial resources will be available for marketing both the Health Unit and its programs/services.
- The Health Unit will take an appropriate role in the marketing of partnership activities.
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Glossary of Terms
Accessibility: The ability of clients to obtain Health Unit services regardless of their personal characteristics. These characteristics may include but are not limited to: literacy level, language, culture, geography, social factors, education, economic circumstances, mental ability and physical ability.
Competing Health Paradigms: Health paradigms that are in conflict with the Health Unit's mission, beliefs and values, and strategic goals. An example is the anti-vaccination movement.
Evidence-Based Planning Principles: Evidence-based health care is the conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individuals/populations or the delivery of health services. Current best evidence is up-to-date information from relevant, valid research about the effects of different strategies.
Source: First Annual Nordic Workshop on How to Critically Appraise and Use Evidence in Health Care. National Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway, 1996.
Leadership: Leadership is the ability to gain consensus and commitment to the common objectives, beyond organizational requirements, which are attained with the experience of contribution and satisfaction on the part of the work group.
Source: Leadership. Skills Program for Management Volunteers. Government of Canada, 1986
Partners (of the Health Unit): Any agency or group of stakeholders that is working with the Health Unit to achieve outcomes that are consistent with the Health Unit's mission, values and beliefs, and strategic goals.
Preventative Health Programs and Services: Programs and services to maintain health and prevent disease.
Quality Improvement: A comprehensive management philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement by applying scientific methods to gain knowledge and control over variation in work processes. The focus of Continuous Quality Improvement
(CQI), expressed in simple terms, is on the following: processes of health care and health care delivery; customers who are served; continuous monitoring of quality with the intent to improve; committed leadership necessary to make it happen; education and long-term commitment. The fundamental components of CQI are: a customer focus, processes, and systems improvement.
Sources: Kahan, B. and
Goodstat, B. Continuous quality improvement and health promotion: CQI lead to better outcomes. Health Promotion International, 14(1): 83-91, 1999.
Quest for Quality in Health Care. Continuous Quality Improvement. Second Edition. Health Canada. 2000.
Resources: Includes human, financial, and physical resources.
Staff: Refers to all employees of the Health Unit, including management.
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