Responsability for governance

To ensure equitable access to quality care and services for all citizens, the Act respecting health services and social services proposes an organizational model that is based on three levels of governance and the complementarity of institutions grouped into networks.

With regard to governance, the health and social services system comes within the results-oriented management framework which is aimed at strengthening accountability between each of its three management levels : the central, regional and local levels.

Central Level

At the central level, the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) establishes the policy directions in the area of health and social services policies and assesses , for the entire network, the results obtained in relation to the goals set. Consequently, in view of enhancing the health and well-being of the population and the quality of services, the MSSS centres its actions on its basic responsibilities which are : planning, funding, allocating financial resources, follow up and evaluation.

Regional Level

At the regional level, the health and social services agencies are responsible for coordinating the establishment of services in their respective territories. They must, in particular, develop policy directions and regional priorities, exercise the regional public health functions, facilitate the deployment and management of local service networks, and ensure the allocation of budgets to institutions and subsidies to community organizations. The agencies must also ensure that the population participates in the management of services, the safe provision of services and respect for users’ rights.

 Local Level

At the local level, 11 local health and social services networks bring together all partners, including family physicians, in order to collectively share a responsibility for the population of a territory. At the heart of the local service network, the 11 health and social services centres (CSSS) are the basis for an integrated provision of services and ensures accessibility, case management, follow up and coordination of services for the population. The model is based on the provision , close to where people live, of a wide range of primary care services, including public health services, and on the establishment of mechanisms of referral and follow up to ensure access to secondary and tertiary care(specialized and highly specialized services ).Thus, the various providers of health and social services to this population are able to respond to all the needs of the individuals concerned and to facilitate their progression, and more particularly that of vulnerable individuals, through the system.
Network and partners