HUS must be a pioneer
The year 2019 was exceptional, considering the major changes in the structures of HUS. We gained a new CEO and decided to revise our long-standing Strategy. How we approached the Strategy was also new, as we decided to undertake the entire process in-house, involving all our personnel and using no outside consultants. The values of the new Strategy – Caring, Equality, Pioneership – emerged in working groups and were confirmed through an extensive round of personnel consultation.
The year 2019 also saw the introduction of the Apotti patient and client information system with a pilot at Peijas Hospital. Responding to service demands requires HUS to adopt new operating procedures and digital services, and Apotti is a prime example of this.
Of course, we must not forget the time and effort we have invested in preparing for the great national social welfare and health care reform. We made a major contribution to the preparation of the reform in the spring. When the reform was abandoned, the work continued in the autumn with planning for a special arrangement for the Uusimaa region. HUS expertise is trusted and needed, which gained us access to the groups in which decisions were made regarding the Uusimaa special arrangement.
In 2018, HUS declared a surplus, which was distributed to the member municipalities. Since no surplus was left on the balance sheet, it comes as no surprise that the year 2019 was a financially difficult one. Increased operating volume did not yield the productivity that our municipalities had hoped.
The HUS Executive Board closely monitors personnel satisfaction and personnel usage. The Workplace Barometer indicated that working conditions are not bad, but in 2019 more red flags were raised than previously. A new culture emerged during the year in which it became habitual to resort to the media to air grievances such as operating room overload, problems in the introduction of the New Children’s Hospital and pressures resulting from reorganization. Previously, such matters had been handled internally. Employees should be able to talk to their immediate supervisors about problems and improvement suggestions. First-line managers must be supported to facilitate dialogue in the workplace.
Guidelines for a new HUS were laid down in in 2019 but were not yet adopted. In 2020, we must focus on personnel recruitment and retention and on financial sustainability.
We will also see how the new HUS values – Caring, Equality, Pioneership – will be applied in our everyday work. The value I would particularly like to highlight is Pioneership. HUS must be a pioneer. We must invest in good HR practice, teaching, research and new operating procedures.
Ulla-Marja Urho, Chair of the Executive Board