Hospital Goals
In late 2009, Sault Area Hospital (SAH) renewed its five-year strategic plan which maps out the direction of the hospital until 2015. Organizational goals that we establish every year for the hospital stem from those key priority areas identified in our strategic plan.
The hospital's goals for 2011/2012 fall under four broad categories - quality, people, service and operational efficiency:
Quality
The quality care goals set by SAH are to reduce the number of days patients stay in hospital unnecessarily (known as conservable days) by 58%; to achieve hand hygiene compliance of at least 75% amongst health care providers (100% being our ultimate goal) and to reduce the number of patient falls by 10%.
People
SAH’s investment in people calls for improving both employee and physician satisfaction and engagement by at least 5%. The hospital measures satisfaction and engagement scores through an annual survey conducted by an independent third party.
Service
Under service, SAH’s goal by the end of the 2011/12 fiscal year is a 50% reduction in the time patients admitted through our Emergency Department wait between triage and when they are ultimately placed in an inpatient bed on a medical unit.
Operational Efficiency
In terms of operational efficiency, SAH’s goal is to achieve a balanced budget by March 2012.
Setting out measurable corporate goals is one of the ways to ensure accountability. The strategic planning process, the setting of yearly goals and ongoing measurement of results against those goals help us focus our efforts on priority areas, ensuring accountability to those we serve. Transparency is also a critical component of our efforts. As such, progress is tracked and displayed on a large “Hospital Goals” board mounted in the cafeteria for staff, physicians, volunteers, students and the public to see.
By investing in the development of our people, identifying and implementing innovative ways to provide quality care to our patients, maximizing the value of partnerships, and enhancing operational efficiency, we will create the foundation needed to realize our vision of becoming the best hospital in Canada and an active partner in the best community health care system in the country.