In recent years, the Ontario government has encouraged the creation of regionally based, shared service corporations to provide some support services for hospitals. Similar shared service organizations are now being created in other provinces. In Saskatchewan a report by the consulting firm Deloitte recommended the establishment of a provincial shared services organization. As is typical, they advocated an immediate start with supply chain management and procurement. But they also advocated a later move into human resources and finance and then into other support services such as laundry and housekeeping. In Ontario, the shared service organizations have focused on the supply chain and a few other fairly small aspects of hospital support services. If they too move into housekeeping, dietary, maintenance, or other support services, it will have a significant impact on industrial relations and, potentially, on local jobs and services. The march towards the centralization of s
Notes from Leftwords -- Doug Allan