Bluewater Health staff, Professional Staff and volunteers are privileged to serve the residents of Sarnia-Lambton and value the trust placed in us by patients and families at a time when they are most vulnerable. We are committed to conducting all practices related to their physical and emotional needs and personal health information in a manner consistent with the organization’s ethical framework.
Bluewater Health’s values are grounded in openness, respect, service, compassion, teamwork, accountability, trust and integrity. Being accountable and acting with integrity begins with compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and acting in ways that are not only consistent with the Bluewater Health Mission, Vision and Values, but also comply with Bluewater Health policies. Other components that guide our behaviour include:
Fiscal Responsibility
As a publicly-funded organization, the hospital has a responsibility to be a good steward of its resources to provide quality care and services. Business transactions are governed by the Broader Public Service Accountability Act.
Research Principles
Bluewater Health supports the Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. All research is initially approved by appropriate external bodies and acceptance of approval and research is reviewed at Bluewater Health.
Governance and Engagement
The organization’s multidisciplinary Ethics Committee provides advice and guidance as well as management of items related to ethics. The Board of Directors has a Quality Committee that considers and provides advice to the Board on matters related to quality of care, including matters related to ethics. The hospital also involves staff, service providers, community representatives and patients/families in ethics-related discussions and decision-making through our community engagement and patient and family-centred care strategies.
Compliance
Individuals who require clarification on ethical dimensions of issues they encounter in performing work-related issues are encouraged to discuss the issue with their manager, who can support them and draw on other resources as needed.
Illegal or unethical practices are subject to disciplinary measures appropriate to the violation, up to and including dismissal. Bluewater Health subscribes to a third-party whistleblower service which allows ethical breaches to be reported if other attempts to address are not successful.