Expanding a Canadian community health centre
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
ISSN: 0952-6862
Article publication date: 3 April 2014
Abstract
Purpose
The current study's purpose is to examine, through a case study, a community health centre board's governance during an expansion period with particular attention to the organizational and internal board relations that contribute to or inhibit expansion.
Design/methodology/approach
All board members on the slate during the expansion were invited to participate in one semi-structured interview. Administrative data (board documentation and correspondence) were also used to inform the study. Discourse analysis was used to analyze the data.
Findings
While board members agreed with the expansion they acknowledge that the expansion process should be examined. Board members identified missing board skill sets, comfort with governance and low organizational understanding as personal barriers to an enhanced process. External barriers included: absent decision support tools; documentation and information availability and historical decision making processes.
Research limitations/implications
Half the board members agreed to participate in the interviews. Of those declining, 30 percent cited difficulties during the expansion period as their rationale for withdrawing.
Originality/value
Findings add to: the limited publications regarding primary healthcare service expansion; and understanding expansion and volunteer board members' roles and their governance process during this time.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank all participants and the CHC staff for their openness and willingness to look at their previous expansion process through a critical lens.
Citation
T. Greening, S., Wild, C. and Caine, V. (2014), "Expanding a Canadian community health centre", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 231-243. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-01-2013-0010
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited