September 3, 1999

From: Dr. Sheela V. Basrur, Medical Officer of Health

Purpose:

This report summarizes the strategic planning process undertaken by the Public Health Division during 1999 and presents goals and objectives to support previously adopted vision, mission, principles and strategic directions.

Source of Funds:

No direct budget implications.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that the Board of Health endorse the revised strategic directions and the goals and objectives for each strategic direction as laid out in Appendix B of this report.

Background:

Ensuring the health of the community has been the aim of public health boards since they were established by the provincial and municipal governments in the 1880s. Toronto Public Health recently embarked on a strategic planning process to ensure optimum health programs and services in the newly amalgamated city. One of the purposes of the planning process is to support budget decisions and set goals for future resource allocations. It is intended that the year 2000 budget will be informed by program and divisional directions established during this process.

As reported previously to the Board of Health (Update on Strategic and Program Planning 1999 - July 22, 1999), the Division used a planning method called >Real Time Strategic Change= (Jacobs, 1994) to maximize participation of staff and stakeholders and to enhance the ability of the organization to adapt quickly to change. The planning process began with a scan of the external and internal environments to identify trends, issues and factors currently or potentially influencing public health. Using a mixture of consultation sessions, surveys and team meetings input was obtained from staff, Board of Health members and stakeholders to develop the Toronto Public Health vision, mission, guiding principles and divisional directions. These received Board of Health approval on July 22, 1999 (see Appendix A).

Comments:

Actions which need to be taken over the next two to three years to implement the approved Divisional Directions were identified through a series of consultations held with staff. The goals and objectives which emerged from this consultation process are included in Appendix B.

The goals and objectives reflect one change in the divisional directions previously approved. The ongoing strategic direction to Amaximize the health of future generations by emphasizing disease prevention and health promotion among children and youth@ has been absorbed within the ongoing direction to Aserve the public by fulfilling our provincial mandate as well as dealing with Toronto=s changing health needs.@ The original decision to treat work among children and youth as a stand-alone direction resulted in goals and objectives being operational rather than strategic. The reassignment of this direction as a goal maintains the intention set by the Board of Health and staff, while making it clearer that Toronto Public Health will continue programming for adults and seniors as set out by Provincial mandatory guidelines and in order to meet local need.

The most recent step of Public Health=s strategic planning process has been the development of strategic business plans for 18 discrete programs, has been a major step in facilitating the harmonization and standardization of services across the new city. The business plans are important as the articulation of the Division=s priorities and as a basis for operational planning to follow. Another benefit is the discussion that occurred by bringing staff from former health units together and the consensus that emerged about the shape of programs and their component parts. An overview of the main program areas will be distributed as part of an October Board of Health report.

Over the next several months the following steps will be taken to complete this round of planning.

1. preparation and release of a popular-format strategic plan to include approved vision, mission, principles, directions, goals and objectives;
2. community consultation about strategic directions for Toronto Public Health with input to be used by staff in preparing operational plans;
3. development of operational plans for each program and sub-program;
4. identification of performance measures for provincially mandated programs, divisional strategic directions and corporate business requirements and establishment of monitoring and reporting systems for the performance measures; and
5. identification and implementation of selected program redesigns and assessment of and reallocation/allocation of resources based on the strategic and business planning undertaken.

Dr. Sheela V. Basrur

Medical Officer of Health