What's covered

CAN/HSO 2001:2020 (E) Leadership specifies the responsibilities and functions of organizational management and leaders of health and social services organizations, to enable the delivery of safe and quality care.

CAN/HSO 2001:2020 (E) Leadership is a revision of HSO 2001:2011. The revision was made to ensure the standard remains relevant to the needs of health and social services organizations.  

Who this standard is for

CAN/HSO 2001:2020 (E) Leadership is intended to be used by different types and sizes of health and social services organizations across the continuum of care, to support an integrated approach within and outside the organization.  

Examples of organizations that may use this standard include hospitals, clinics, health centres, home and community care organizations, social services organizations, as well as health and social service networks and systems. 

This standard is intended to be used as part of a conformity assessmentIt provides: 

  • Organizations with the required responsibilities of organizational management and leaders to provide safe and quality care
  • Policy makers with a guide on best practices in organizational leadership to help promote consistency across their jurisdictions 
  • Clients and families with information about what they can expect from organizations in their community, and how they can engage with the leadership of the organization
  • External assessment bodies with measurable requirements to include in assessment programs 

About the content:

The technical content of the standard is divided as follows:  

  • Creating and sustaining a caring culture
  • Planning and designing services
  • Allocating and managing organizational resources
  • Managing and monitoring organizational health and safety

The technical content of the standard consists of clauses, criteria, and guidelines. 

  • Clause: Introductory statement for a set of criteria. It is not a goal statement. 
  • Criterion: A requirement that is to be evaluated. May be referred to as a sub-clause. 
  • Guideline: Additional information to help understand the criterion. It does not contain new information of evaluation content.

This standard will be undergoing periodic maintenance. HSO will review and publish this standard on a schedule not to exceed five years from the date of publication.   

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