Quebec's Health Network Managers Speak Out Against Santé Québec
Network administrators express frustration over being kept in the loop
The Association of Managers for Health and Social Services Establishments (AGESSS) is expressing frustration, accusing Santé Québec of leaving them out of key discussions regarding the transformation of the network. In a bold move, AGESSS CEO Danielle Girard is urging Minister of Health, Christian Dube, to take action.
Girard claims that repeated requests for a meeting with CEO Genevieve Biron have been ignored. Apart from a "preparation" interview before the inception of Santé Québec, AGESSS alleges a consistent exclusion from decision-making conversations.
"I'm now asking Minister Dube to put Santé Québec in its place so that it speaks to our association of 9,000 managers," lamented Girard. These managers, she emphasizes, are the ones directly interacting with patients and network users, and they possess valuable solutions.
Girard is left puzzled as to why she is unable to gain access to the upper echelons of Santé Québec amidst this significant network reform, taking place under tight budgetary constraints. She expresses concern that the promised decentralization may fail.
"We had discussions with Minister Dube, and we were supposed to have proximity management. We were also supposed to consult our managers. That was the minister's commitment," she recalls.
Santé Québec contends that "communication channels" with AGESSS are present and that "frequent contacts and collaborations are good and cordial." "Regular meetings are planned until July as part of the renewal of working conditions for our employee members of AGESSS," the Crown corporation writes in an email to La Presse.
AGESSS, however, maintained that there is a "lack of direct dialogue" with Biron, which is concerning given the significant challenges managers are facing on the ground. It's also worth noting that wage negotiations fall under the purview of the Ministry.
Beyond the Headlines
While the specifics of the AGESSS-Santé Québec dynamic aren't elaborated upon in available search results, the broader picture reveals patterns of hierarchical decision-making and limited cross-stakeholder consultation in health system reforms. Managers often bear operational responsibility for implementing reforms without proportional influence on their design.
Research by institutions like the C.D. Howe Institute highlights risk-aversion and lack of intergovernmental coordination as key barriers to healthcare innovation. If Santé Québec's reform process is indeed sidelining managerial expertise, this could exacerbate existing integration challenges between policy decisions and frontline operational realities.
Moreover, limited hospital resources and rigid funding structures often hinder managers from participating in strategic initiatives. Organizations like the CIUSSS West-Central Montreal emphasize the importance of reorganizing care trajectories and collaborating with institutional partners, but managerial voices might be deprioritized in favor of clinical or governmental priorities.
The approach of Horizon Health Network, which prioritizes evaluating new treatments through dedicated research teams, underscores the critical role of managerial input for sustainable implementation. Exclusion of management associations could create disconnects between policy design and practical resource allocation.
In this context, the concerns raised by AGESSS take on a broader significance, suggesting a need for greater transparency and collaboration in health system reforms. As the implications of such reforms are far-reaching, the inclusion of diverse stakeholders, including frontline managers, may prove crucial to their success.
- AGESSS CEO Danielle Girard has expressed frustration towards Santé Québec for allegedly excluding them from key discussions about the transformation of the network, directly impacting the 9,000 managers they represent.
- The Association of Managers for Health and Social Services Establishments (AGESSS) has urged Minister of Health, Christian Dube, to intervene in the situation, as they have been consistently excluded from decision-making conversations.
- In the midst of a significant network reform under tight budgetary constraints, Girard is puzzled by her inability to gain access to the upper echelons of Santé Québec, expressing concern that the promised decentralization may fail.
- Research by institutions like the C.D. Howe Institute has highlighted risk-aversion and lack of intergovernmental coordination as key barriers to healthcare innovation, suggesting that the sidelining of managerial expertise by Santé Québec could exacerbate existing challenges between policy decisions and frontline operational realities.
- Limited hospital resources and rigid funding structures often hinder managers from participating in strategic initiatives, making collaboration with institutional partners, like CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, essential for reorganizing care trajectories.
- The concerns raised by AGESSS signal a need for greater transparency and collaboration in health system reforms, as the inclusion of diverse stakeholders, including frontline managers, may prove crucial to their success, as demonstrated by the approach of Horizon Health Network.
