Nelson Sergerie – LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – The Gaspé Peninsula Integrated Health and Social Services Centre (CISSS) has been granted a grace period until October to address the 64 recommendations proposed in response to the damning report by the Auditor General of Quebec. That report was produced three years ago on five major areas of the organization’s management. 

In May 2022, the then Auditor General, Guylaine Leclerc, criticized management and governance by making five major findings: lack of rigour in hiring and inadequate management of service contracts; work environment issues; poorly protected personal information; and lack of compliance with governance rules. The auditor noted that the CISSS management was problematic overall, particularly at the management level when Chantal Duguay was President and CEO. 

“Four of the five areas are 100% complete. We have met expectations. The fifth area that has not yet been completed is contract management, although many changes have been made over the past year and a half, we still have some areas to address to meet the VGQ’s (Quebec’s Auditor General) expectations,” says President and CEO Martin Pelletier. 

What remains to be done is the response to the logistics action plan, which had to be readjusted. 

“Our internal approach, with review processes to ensure that contracts are properly secured, is where it’s lacking. There are a lot of contracts we sign each year that are for five years and they aren’t in the mix. We see that there are still adjustments to be made to our mechanisms,” maintains Mr. Pelletier. 

The Auditor General is satisfied with the work accomplished over the past three years. 

“We met three times with the VGQ (Auditor General) office officials, and each time, it was satisfactory,” says Mr. Pelletier. 

Regarding governance, with the changes implemented with the arrival of Santé Québec, this aspect has been put on hold while the auditor adjusts to the new way of managing the future. 

Mr. Pelletier notes that a great deal of work has been done over the past three years to address the concerns raised by the report. Relations have improved. 

“One of my major projects was to ensure that we collaborate. We didn’t always agree, but we were able to agree on the well-being of users, and we did so respectfully with the unions and Santé Québec. We talk to each other, and that’s where we can find solid solutions. The lines of communication are excellent,” notes the CEO. 

Patient safety has never been compromised, he says. “I hope that not too late in the fall, we’ll be able to close the file once we’ve provided the latest information,” says the President and CEO.