HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-05-15, Page 20There’s some work to be doneregarding organizationalrelationships between the board of
health and Huron County
administration.
At least that’s the information
delivered by consultant Hugh
Thomas to county council May 7.
At a special meeting of the board
of health a recommendation was
made that the board of health retain
Thomas for a third-party
independent review.
At that meeting, medical officer of
health Dr. Beth Henning had
expressed concern over the recent
dismissal of the health unit director.
The MOH said she had not been
apprised of any issues with the
director and had not been informed
of the hiring of an acting director.
She noted that as the health unit is
unique in that it is a shared
leadership model it requires a fluid
relationship between the MOH and
the director. In her opinion the
compatability of these two positions
should not be understated.
A facilitator, it was felt, could help
outline the roles and responsibilities
of the MOH, the board and
administrative staff in this shared
leadership.
A motion was made then at an
April meeting to retain Thomas for a
review of the health unit at a limit of
$7,500 plus expenses.
Thomas interviewed 32 people,
including Henning, county chief
administrative officer Larry Adams,
department heads, managers and
support staff of the health board,
health board members and
representatives from the health unit
unions.The process involved a one-hourinterview using a standardquestionairre. Prior to Thomas’s presentation,county solicitor Greg Stewart
provided some background and his
consensus on the issue of the board’s
responsbilities and the roles of the
MOH and the county.
As a legal entity on its own, the
health board is responsible for many
administrative duties including the
passing of bylaws and finances.
“The duties of the board of health
require them to carry out
specific provisions mandated
by the province.”
Stewart said that the board,
which should also have a vice-
chair and does not, does have
the right to hire and fire.
However, he said, “it’s
important to note that we are
dealing with two elements.
There arethe requirements that
are mandated, but also the
system of shared leadership.”
In this, the health unit functions as
if it’s a committee of council with
staff employed and paid by the
county. The health unit, though still
under the legislation, is also a
separate model where its director
reports to the county.
“The issue of the director and his
or her relationship to the county is a
matter of fact,” said Stewart.
“So other than we don’t appoint a
vice-chair we’re doing everything
legally?” questioned Huron East
councillor Bernie MacLellan.
“That’s the only area,” said
Stewart.
Thomas began his report saying he
had spoken to the solicitor and
concurred on the process that has
been followed. However, his reportoutlined seven recommendationswhere improvements should bemade. Open communication withadministration and a betterrelationship with human resources
were at the heart of many of them.
First, Thomas said the county
personnel policy manual needs to be
completed and circulated with staff
for comment prior to council
approval.
The development of corporate
policies should involve the user staff
of the affected departments. “I
assure you that working from the
bottom up with the people involved
results in things going more
smoothly. It will be more productive,
there will be more harmony and a
better understanding of each other’s
problems and woes.”
Managers and supervisory staff
should be trained on how to conduct
constructive performance appraisals
and a template should be developed
for these.
Appraisals, suggested Thomas,
should be undertaken on an annual
basis with a copy retained in the
personnel record of each employee.
“There are individuals in the
organization, who have gone as long
as six years with one appraisal,” said
Thomas.
The board of health should beconsulted prior to the hiring ortermination of managers or theequivalent and above, Thomas said.“The director is responsible for allthe health board staff, except the
MOH and is accountable to the
CAO. While this may work in
principle, the events of the past two
months clearly indicate that more
communication with the board
relative to the senior staff is
desirable.”
“The medical officer of health was
advised by a phone call in Toronto of
the most recent
termination after it
occurred,” said Thomas.
“While it is clear under
the existing structure that
human resources issues
are ultimately the CAO’s
responsibility, as a matter
of policy no action
whould be taken to hire or
fire senior health board
staff without the board’s
prior knowledge.”
Finally, service contracts should
be established with the board of
health for the provision of finance
and HR services.
In an interview following the
presentation, warden John Bezaire
said that he was quite happy overall.
“I think a lot has been unnecessary,
and a bit unfortunate, but any time
there are concerns you have to do
due diligence and make sure
everyone’s as comfortable as
possible.”
Bezaire said there were no big
surprises to him in the report but did
admit to some relief.
“As with any organization you can
always be better. This gives us an
opportunity to see where we can
improve.”While he’s open to most of therecommendations, Bezaire was lesscertain about the bottom upapproach. “And to lay this at the feetof human services and
administration is not fair.” Ideas, he
said are kicked back and forth from
senior management to each line
department before every getting to
council.
“If department staff don’t feel
they’ve had input it should be on the
department head. It’s a little unfair to
administration. If people don’t
choose to take part, blame them.”
However, Bezaire felt it had been a
worthy accomplishment in a brief
amount of time. “(Hugh Thomas)
took a quick snapshot of 32 people
when feelings were raw. To have it
come out as well as it did was good
news.”
From the health unit side of things,
Thomas’s report was generally quite
positive. The health unit was one of
the smallest in the province to be
recognized as a leader in its field. “It
is a credit to the board and staff that
accreditation was gained on the first
attempt and is one of the few in
Ontario to achieve this goal.”
The management is “progressive,
participative and supportive. This
has produced a positive culture of
problem solving, learning and
teamwork.”
“All of the issues identified
throughout this review process have
related to administrative functions
and procedures. The public health
portion of the role is being delivered
to a very high standard.”
Henning declined the opportunity
for any comment until she had
more time to consider the complete
report.
PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2008.County hears report on roles and relationships
‘More communication
with board relative to
senior staff desirable’
— Hugh Thomas
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