CASE STUDY

Setting the Strategic Direction of the Northwest Regional Hospital

The Northwest Regional Health Authority is one of four Regional Health Authorities of a developing country. This Regional Health Authority represents one of the country's major health care systems, comprising of public and private hospitals, primary health care clinics, private physicians' practices, public and private pharmacies, public and private diagnostic facilities, public and private imaging facilities. Although some physiotherapy/rehabilitative services are available both in the public and private sectors, it must be noted that the health region does not have a comprehensive rehabilitative service that caters to most, if not all of the needs of the population it serves. The Northwest Regional Health Authority's service area comprises for four parishes, however, for reasons of proximity and convenience, individuals from neighboring parishes, outside of the service area, seek medical services from the health region.

The Northwest Regional Health Authority was established as a major strategy for the reform of the country's health services, and the health region is mandated to organize its health system and services to meet the growing needs of its service area, play a major role in addressing the health imperatives of the nation, and ensure that the national health goals are attained. The regional health authority is guided by legislative policies such as the Health Services Act, the Mental Health Act, the Hospital Act, Primary Health Care Policies, WHO Sustainable Goals, Ministry of Health policies and Strategic Plan, and the country's 2030 National Development Plan of which health care is a major component.

The Northwest Regional Hospital is the regional center for health care service delivery. It is the multidisciplinary hospital, and referral center for all hospitals and health clinics in the region. The hospital provides tertiary, secondary and primary health care services to the people living and working in its service area. In addition to those medical services that are common to other hospitals in the health region, the regional hospital provides highly specialized medical services, including critical care services to a population of 950. Another function of the regional hospital is teaching and research. It provides continuous education and training to medical students, nursing students, students in public health and allied health professions. In recent times it is involved in the education and training of students pursuing a career in the field of Health Administration.

Situated on the same campus, as the hospital, is a Type 5 health center that addresses the primary health care needs of the population including minor curative services, minor oral health services and the monitoring of some communicable diseases. These are in addition to its core services, health education, health promotion and prevention, screening, environmental health, and other public health activities. Both institutions work independent of each other, with very little or no collaboration.

There are changes taking place at the Northwest Regional Health Authority. There is a new Regional Board of Directors. A new Regional Technical Director is appointed, and senior management staff has been redeployed. In addition to the changes at the Regional Health Authority's level, social and economic changes are taking place in the communities served by the Regional Health Authority. New business enterprises have been established, with this comes migration of individuals in the communities; The health sector has expanded with the recent addition of private physicians' practices and the establishment of a 200 bed private hospital, approximately 11/2 kilometer from the regional hospital. At the regional hospital level, not many changes have taken place over the last two decades despite the external changes that demand a more responsive health system.

The Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Donald Newsome, recognizes the changes that are taking place, based on the new demands on the Northwest Regional Health Authority and in particular the Northwest Regional Hospital. There is a growing demand to address the urgent and diverse needs of the customers. There are also overarching environmental factors that pose a new set of challenges, signaling the urgent need to address internal weaknesses. The Regional Hospital must set a new strategic direction, if it is to adequately respond to the growing demands of the population it serves.

PART 1:

1. Explain the type of environmental assessment the CEO and his team should embark on to ensure that appropriate and adequate data is collected to inform strategic planning and management of the Northwest Regional Hospital;
2. Identify and describe two external and internal factors that greatly influence the regional hospital's strategic direction and affect its organizational processes.

PART 2:

1. Explain the approach the CEO and his team should take in the development of the Regional Hospital's mission and vision statements, and in the formulation of the strategic goals and objectives;
2. Identify and elaborate on possible adoptive strategies the management team could develop and apply to address the strategic requirement of the expansion and enhancement of critical care services at the regional hospital.

PART 3:

1. Explain how the regional hospital can create value added strategies that will enhance service delivery in the pre-service, point-of-service and after-service areas of the hospital and the type five health centre also located on the same property;
2. Describe the role of unit action plans in service categories and explain how the regional hospital team can develop unit objectives that are linked to the regional hospitals' strategic objectives.

TOTAL - 60 Marks