In time for its annual report, GBGH releases new strategic plan to guide the hospital’s future
July 13, 2023 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) has launched its new strategic plan, which will serve as the organization’s map for the next seven years. The strategic plan will guide the hospital’s planning, decision-making and priorities from now until 2030. Simultaneously, GBGH has also released its 2022-2023 Annual Report in English and French, summarizing highlights from the past year and outlining the hospital’s new strategy moving forward.
“GBGH’s previous strategic plan was launched in 2018 and served our hospital well over the past five years through significant growth, change and a pandemic,” says Matthew Lawson, president and CEO, GBGH. “It was time to re-evaluate, update and add to that plan to form our new strategy for the foreseeable future. Although there are core principles we will always include in our strategy – such as high quality, safe care, responsible resource management and patient-centred experiences – additional priorities have emerged and are reflected in our updated strategy.”
GBGH’s new strategic plan is based on a main purpose statement – We Make Excellent Care Personal. – which defines why the organization exists. This purpose statement unifies team members under a common purpose and serves as an overarching statement for those outside GBGH to understand what the hospital strives to achieve.
“GBGH is always committed to quality, which is reflected by the ‘excellent care’ portion of our purpose statement,” says Lawson. “What makes our organization unique is our additional focus on individual patient experiences. We want every patient to have the most positive, personalized experience we can provide.”
Five new values are also included in the strategic plan. The values of GBGH’s strategic plan describe how the hospital will do its work – the elements of the hospital’s culture that guide how we deliver care.
- Inspire Dedication: We show up every day with a commitment to caring for the health and wellbeing of our patients, our community, and each other.
- Patients First: We listen, work as a team, and collaborate with patients to create a safe and personalized care journey for all.
- Empower Others: We foster feelings of belonging by listening to and investing in our people, and by giving them space to grow.
- Lead with Empathy: We support our patients and their families by leading with compassion, respect, and the willingness to go the extra mile.
- Think Forward: We seek excellence through continuous improvement and innovation.
Additionally, GBGH’s strategic plan includes four main themes on which the hospital will focus its priorities and initiatives over the next seven years:
- Continual Excellence – includes a commitment to exceeding quality and safety standards; focus on person-centred care; strategies for providing consistent, dependable care; and collaboration with partners to benefit our community
- Trust & Belonging – includes building a sense of belonging and community among people, patients and partners; addressing health inequities; proactively strengthening relationship with Indigenous peoples and communities; creating an environment of culturally safe care; and a focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
- Dedicated Team – includes promoting an environment of continual learning and growth; investing in and supporting people to perform at their highest potential; and celebrating successes
- Sustainable Growth – includes growing our services to align with community needs; investing in physical infrastructure; leveraging technology to improve patient experiences, outcomes and health equity; enhance partnerships to support patients throughout their health journey; and financial sustainability
In deciding on the areas of priority to be included in the strategic plan, GBGH conducted extensive consultation internally and externally. The hospital formed a strategic planning advisory committee, which represented the perspectives of frontline and support staff, as well as professional staff, leadership and members of the Board of Directors. To develop the final plan, this committee evaluated feedback provided via a community survey (which received over 300 responses), focus groups and interviews with healthcare and community partners, as well as an internal and focus groups for staff, professional staff and volunteers.
To learn more about the strategic plan, please visit: https://gbgh.on.ca/about-us/our-strategic-plan/
GBGH’s Annual Report includes a joint message to the community from the chair of the hospital’s Board of Directors Tim Kastelic and president and CEO Matthew Lawson. Hospital statistics from the past year are also detailed in the plan, as is an overview of the new strategic plan. To view GBGH’s 2022-2023 Annual Report, please visit: https://gbgh.on.ca/gbghmedia/GBGH-Annual-Report-2023-EN.pdf
Contact:
Jennifer Moore
Director, Communications & Community Relations, GBGH
705-526-1300 ext 5177