As chair of the Hospital regional de Sudbury
Regional Hospital (HRSRH) , I have received inquiries about the
hospital's decision to hire a chief operating officer (COO).
Some have questioned the need for this position, as well as the
costs. We have determined that the COO position will be an
important addition to the management team and will be
responsible not only for overseeing the day-to-day operations,
but also for guiding the hospital in its efforts to increase
accountability throughout the organization.
The decision to add this position to our
management team was first identified by the operational review
that was conducted in 2002.
The review was led by a team of independent
consultants hired by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
to examine the hospital's performance around financial
management, service delivery, leadership and the capital
project.
After reviewing the hospital's management
structure, the consultants recommended the hiring of a COO. The
recommendation was based on factors such as the complexity of
our programs and services and the evolving teaching hospital
role of the HRSRH. A COO was also deemed essential for
succession planning purposes.
The operational review report also noted that
a COO would allow the president and CEO to focus on key
strategic issues facing our hospital and other across the
province such as funding, new technology, standards of
practice, long-term planning and stakeholder
communications.
The government-appointed supervisor, Graham
Scott, supported the report's recommendation for a COO.
Based on these external reviews and
directions, the HRSRH is moving forward with the hiring of a
COO.
On the issue of cost, the Ministry of Health
and Long-Term Care has provided the hospital with the funding
support required of this position.
On the issue of need, a COO position is
common in similar-sized hospitals and those with a teaching
role. It should be noted that the HRSRH has the lowest
percentage of administrative costs among our comparable
hospitals.
It should be noted the HRSRH has overcome
some significant budget challenges over the past few years. I
am pleased to report our multi-year recovery plan is being
effectively implemented and the hospital will meet its one-year
target of $5.5 million in savings this year.
The goal was made possible only through the
hard work of our management team, employees and medical
staff.
As evidenced by the recent provincial funding
announcements, there will be a greater link between hospital
funding and performance expectations.
Hospitals will need to demonstrate greater
accountability for the dollars they receive, and rightly
so.
The effective utilization of our resources
will be greatly aided by a COO who will be responsible for
ensuring that programs and services continue to be delivered
effectively and efficiently.
Tom Querney
Chair, HRSRH Board of Directors