Strategic Planning a Key to Success in Changing Environment

It has been said that if we fail to plan, then we plan to fail. And that's simply not an option in the constantly challenging, rapidly changing healthcare field where so much is at stake.

“That challenge is the impetus behind the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance's recent efforts to revisit and update our Strategic Plan for 2011-2014,” explains Anne Campbell HPHA's Director of Corporate Planning. “We are unveiling a series of wall murals at our four sites that use local people to illustrate some of our Strategic Planning Guiding Principles: supporting people by building skill and ability at all levels; strengthening partnerships with patients, the public and providers; and improving a high performance culture that drives quality outcomes. We believe the murals bring these Guiding Principles to life.”

See all of our murals here.
To read the full Strategic Plan for the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance click HPHA Strategic Plan 2011-2014 

With the help of HPHA staff, board members, patients and various stakeholder groups, we've also re-examined our Vision, Mission and Values, three important cornerstones which underscore who we are in the most basic terms—what we do, how we do it, for whom we do it, and the core beliefs that guide us.

The Vision, Mission Values for the Alliance reads as follows

OUR VISION We will improve the health and well-being of the people we serve by leading the development of a sustainable fully integrated rural health system OUR MISSION STATEMENT What We Do  We are a health system providing safe, high quality patient care.  Our services include:  acute  medical and surgical; complex continuing care; emergency services; maternal child; mental health; and, rehabilitation.  All services are guided by best practice and are delivered in a dynamic and innovative environment.   How We Do It We are a a system of exceptional people providing exceptional care.  Our unique partnership between the hospitals in Clinton, St. Marys, Seaforth and Stratford is strengthened as a voluntary Alliance under a single governance and staff structure. For Whom Our primary responsibility is to serve the people of Huron, Perth and north Oxford and Middlesex Counties so that they can achieve and maintain optimum health and well being. Values In all we do we demonstrate Trust, Respect, Fairness and Compassion Exceptional People, Exceptional Care

Like a roadmap for an organization, a strategic plan helps define where we're going, how best to get there, and what resources we need for the journey. It helps us check our progress, ensuring we remain on course yet flexible enough to respond to any detours or roadblocks which may occur, according to Andrew Williams, HPHA's Chief Executive Officer.

“Strategic planning is about making choices and being intentional about our goals and methods. It's a process that helps us focus on our mission and priorities in response to the changing environment and ensure that everyone in our organization is working towards the same goals,” stated Mr. Williams. “It helps us answer two very important questions: are we doing the right thing, and are we doing things right?”

But simply developing a Strategic Plan is not enough. Key to its success is turning higher level strategic priorities into “Operational Priorities”—specific, easy to understand, concrete objectives that can be implemented, monitored and measured throughout our organization.

Four Operational Priorities have been developed through the planning process—initiatives that have organization wide impacts, address gaps in services and improve operational processes. These include:

• Quality and Safety – providing safe, high quality patient care
• Patient Access – enabling the effective and timely provision of patient care
• Workplace Health – creating a preferred place to work, volunteer and provide care
• Fiscal Health – effectively managing fiscal resources to meet and sustain operational and capital priorities.

“These Operational priorities are broken down into clear objectives developed for each care and support team and specific departments, providing a “how to” guide in achieving these goals and ways to measure their success and impact,” explains Ms. Campbell.

Finally, HPHA is incorporating Transformational Strategies into our planning.

Vision 2013 continues to deliver this long-term, consistent view which provides the guidance for HPHA to move forward, adapt to continuous change and be recognized as a leader in innovative healthcare system reform.

“Together, we've created a strategic plan that is a vital, exciting, living document that will help guide our journey over the next few years, helping us navigate the bumps in the road while ensuring our overriding focus remains exactly where it should be—on our patients,” says Mr. Williams.

For further information please contact:
Anne Campbell, Director Corporate Planning
Phone (519) 272-8210 ext. 2318