Our Vision, Mission, Values
- November 2003
- Français
The Niagara Health System's (NHS) Board of Trustees have taken a major step forward in advancing the organization to its next stage in its development with the adoption of a new vision, mission and core values for the three-year-old amalgamated health system.
"A vision is a defining statement that describes what an organization should become. It imagines the future and challenges us to become our very best," explains Niagara Health System Chairman Paul Leon. "With our new vision we can set new targets in our quest to provide quality, compassionate healthcare services throughout Niagara."
"Together in Excellence – Leaders in Healthcare" are the words that represent the NHS's new vision. The rationale is as follows:
Together: represents people caring about and for people; teamwork; collaboration; and working together internally and externally with our communities and community partners.
Excellence: represents seeking a better way through creativity and innovation; being an employer of choice; exceeding performance targets in patient satisfaction, efficiency and effectiveness; and functioning by best practice standards.
Leaders: represents our desire to lead the way in the healthcare sector by achieving and setting high standards -- individually as leaders and as an organization.
Healthcare: represents our scope of care going beyond hospital care to prevention and promotion and working with our community partners and other hospital providers for as healthier Niagara.
"Together in Excellence – Leaders in Healthcare" evolved following five months of review and consultation with a broad cross-section of stakeholders. Along with the new vision, a new mission, new core values, a comprehensive accountability framework and service excellence initiative have been adopted to help the NHS ‘live' its vision. The NHS is also in the midst of implementing a clinical program management structure to re-organize the way clinical services are managed. "We're taking an encompassing approach to ensure that our new vision, mission and values become embedded into our day-to-day lives," adds Mr. Leon.
"In the three years since the amalgamation of our eight hospital sites, a great deal of work has been done to establish the NHS as an integrated system—for example, finance, human resources and information systems have all been fully integrated, and integration of clinical support services is well underway. The time was right to re-evaluate our original vision, ‘Working within an integrated system for a healthier Niagara'," explains NHS President and CEO Debbie Sevenpifer.
Given that the NHS's original vision statement was actually a very fitting reflection of where the organization is today, the board decided to adopt the original vision as its mission, completed by the following:
Building on the contributions of our founding hospitals, the Niagara Health System:
- we provide equitable and timely access for people throughout Niagara to a wide range of patient-focused care and services;
- we ensure a full continuum of care through partnerships with other health and social service providers within and beyond Niagara;
- we enhance community well-being and health care delivery through health promotion, education and research; and
- we commit to innovation and continuous quality improvement in health services to meet our changing health care needs.
The NHS's new vision and mission is supported by its new core values, summarized as CPR--compassion, professionalism and respect. "Our values are the most important thing for which we stand as we go about the business of achieving our vision," notes Mrs. Sevenpifer. This past summer focus groups with amore than 200 staff and medical staff members were conducted to determine the NHS's new core values. "Our values answer questions such as: What principles will guide our actions and decisions? How will we behave and not behave in our relationships with patients, customers, each other?"
The values statement adopted by the NHS is as follows:
Compassion
We focus on patient needs, concerns and feelings.
We display courtesy and helpfulness to others at all times.
We take time to listen first.
We speak to others in a dignified and understanding manner.
We demonstrate sensitivity to the situations of others.
Professionalism
We strive for quality in all aspects of work.
We take responsibility for actions.
We acknowledge the contributions and successes of others.
We welcome new ideas and innovative thinking.
We take advantage of and encourage new learning opportunities.
Respect
We value the ideas and opinions of others.
We promote and support teamwork.
We communicate with others in a positive, considerate and open manner.
We display trust and integrity at all times.
We respect everyone's privacy.
We treat others fairly.
Mrs. Sevenpifer adds, "Our vision and mission give us a clear understanding of what the NHS needs to become and what we are today, and our values will guide us in living out our vision and mission and in our day–to-day activities. Our vision and mission provide the NHS with a road map for our future and we're very excited about the journey that will lead the Niagara Health System to being the best it can be."