Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District agrees to demands of personnel

Contentious parts of organisational change to be re-assessed

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The administration of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) agreed on Wednesday to demands by doctors and nursing staff to cancel the most controversial aspects of an organisational change put forward by HUS CEO Kari Nenonen.
      At the same time, Nenonen’s deputies, Juha Ojala and Seppo Kivinen find themselves in a more difficult position than before.
      At its meeting on Wednesday, the HUS board did not take issue with Nenonen’s post. According to the decision, the positions and tasks of the deputy CEOs would be reviewed “taking into consideration the hearing procedure as required by legislation”.
      After the meeting, members of the HUS board severely criticised a paper put out by the HUS communications unit, according to which both Ojala and Kivinen would remain in their posts. “I reviewed the minutes of the meeting, and no such addition was contained in the decision”, says Professor Mikko Salaspuro, who represents the University of Helsinki on the HUS board.
     
The interpretation of the communications unit was also contradicted by board members Ulla-Maija Urho (Nat. Coalition Party) and Eeva Honkanummi (Green). HUS head of communications Riitta Lehtonen says that in addition to herself, Chairman of the Board Aatto Prihti worked on the paper.
      HUS doctors were also baffled by the contradiction between the decisions of the HUS board and the press release on those decisions.
     
The HUS board decided on Wednesday that the new administration would secure both a high level of in medical knowledge and treatment skills. In addition, the internal structure of the service production would be reconsidered.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Tensions high between management and personnel at Helsinki University Central Hospital (18.9.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat