Our Vision
This plan is the culmination of months of research and engagement. We reviewed emerging local, provincial, national and global trends in health care. We took a deep dive into our own work to examine our service areas and patient mix across our three sites. We looked carefully at the communities we serve and how they are growing and changing.
We invited our partners, our patients, families and our communities to join us in our planning journey. Through interviews, focus groups, surveys and pop-up booths, we asked people to tell us what they want from Unity Health Toronto, where they feel we should and must contribute, and we asked people to tell us about their aspirations for Unity Health. We asked people to dream big.This plan is the result. This document outlines our vision for the future of Unity Health Toronto and the commitments we are making – together.
The best care experiences. Created together.
This vision reflects the aspirations of the hearts and minds of the people of Unity Health Toronto and the people in our care. This is a shared vision of the best possible experiences for those we serve. It is our commitment to care for the whole person – body, mind and spirit. And, it emphasizes that the best care experiences will need to be created together.
We will focus on a number of key dimensions to achieve the best possible care experiences:
What’s unique at Unity Health Toronto is our vision — The best care experiences. Created together. — which crosses all of our clinical and residential settings. Read More
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A message from our CEO and Board Chair
It was nearly a year ago when we began reaching out to our community, asking people what matters most to them about their health care, what they imagine to be the best possible care experience and how they see Unity Health Toronto partnering with them and others to create a healthier future for everyone.
The response was overwhelming and inspiring. We received more than 4,000 suggestions from different people across our network and our communities. People’s passion and commitment to health care and to our network resonated throughout. Your hopes and dreams for Unity Health Toronto helped us create this bold plan. It is our road map for the next five years to delivering leading-edge health care that is built around understanding the unique needs of each person in our care.
Thank you for your engagement and support.
Tim Rutledge
President & CEO
Unity Health Toronto
Tom Woods
Chair, Board of Directors
Unity Health Toronto
Strategy map
The best care experiences. Created together.
Our Mission
Unity Health Toronto is a Catholic health care organization providing compassionate physical, emotional and spiritual care to all in need. We advance excellence in health care through world-class education, research and innovation.
Our Values
Integrated care for our urban communities
Unity Health is proud to deliver a comprehensive spectrum of health care across the full breadth of Toronto. With St. Joseph’s in the west, St. Michael’s in the downtown core and Providence in the east, Unity Health’s sites have been an integral part of our city’s communities for generations. Every person who turns to us for care brings with them their personal history, needs and experiences.
Six-year-old Dixon was first referred to the Paediatric School Outreach clinic at Parkdale Public School because of separation anxiety he experienced when leaving his mom. Read More
Excelling in care for those experiencing disadvantage
Health starts where people live, work and play. Social and economic factors can have lasting impacts and create stigma for those who need care. For more than 160 years, we have been here for people when they need us most, no matter their circumstances. Over the next five years, we will work with our teams and our partners to make sure everyone can access the care they need with respect and compassion.
The Navigator Program supports patients experiencing homelessness in General Internal Medicine at St. Michael’s. Fred Ellerington, homeless outreach counsellor, meets each homeless patient admitted. Read More
Leading in world-class specialty care
Being diagnosed with a disease or chronic condition can be frightening; it can suddenly change a person’s life. At these times, people trust Unity Health to provide the best medical treatments and care available for themselves and for the people they love. As an academic health sciences leader with world-class specialty care programs and teams, Unity Health is at the forefront of treatment for some of the world’s most complex diseases and conditions.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is often called Canada’s disease because of its high prevalence across the country. More than one in every 300 Canadians is affected by MS, which is the highest rate in the world. Read More
Measuring our progress
Together, we have set a bold vision for the future of Unity Health Toronto. As we shift from strategy formulation to strategy execution, we will set specific objectives and targets annually to drive and track our progress. There are a number of overarching goals, for which we have assigned “big dot” indicators to track our success in achieving our vision, The best care experiences. Created together. The indicators will be “SMART” — that is, they will be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based. They will be meaningful and understandable by our people and our patients, and actionable in the next five years.
We will measure our progress through a balanced scorecard with indicators often related to goals in one or more of the components of our strategy. In fact, some measures may apply to multiple strategic components with overlapping indicators all pushing us towards achieving our vision.
Closing
This plan is the promise we are making to our whole community – our patients, families, health care partners and people. We are setting out to transform health care and the health care experience.
Throughout our planning process, we listened carefully to the input of our people and our stakeholders. Our communities, our health care environment and health care priorities are changing. We heard clearly the need for effective, safe, world-class health care that is easy to navigate and empowers patients and families. We also heard the need to embrace the power of digital technology and artificial intelligence and to value learning and discovery – all while making wise financial choices. This plan is our roadmap to better care and better care experiences.
Our shared vision will serve as our beacon, urging us forward. Everyone who serves at Unity Health Toronto shares one thing in common – our desire to make a positive difference: to help make people’s life better, more dignified and fulfilled. Our plan will help us achieve this.
Over the next five years, we will imagine new possibilities, new partnerships and new ways of delivering care. We began this journey by dreaming big. Now we will embark on a journey to bring this plan to life.
The result will be The best care experiences. Created together.
