The Regional Health Services Act sets out in broad terms the roles and responsibilities of the Minister of Health, regional health authorities and health care organizations. It serves as the building block for defining roles and responsibilities as well as defining how each of the parties will interact. Regulations and policies established under the Act’s authority serve to support strategic and operational direction to regional health authorities and health care organizations.

To build on responsibilities outlined in The Regional Health Services Act and other legislation, the document Roles and Expectations of the Minister of Health and Saskatchewan’s Regional Health Authorities was developed and put in place. The document defines some of these responsibilities in terms of clear expectations for the boards, with the major focus being on expectations at the governance level.

The Minister of Health and the regional health authority boards have interdependent roles and responsibilities to each other. Both the Minister of Health and the regional health authority boards are involved in meeting expectations in relation to the following key areas:

• Strategic Planning;
• Fiscal Management and Reporting;
• Relationships;
• Quality Management;
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting; and
• Management and Performance.

The Accountability Document sets out the ministry's expectations of regions for the funding that is provided. It contains both high-level organizational (governance and directional) expectations and program-specific expectations for the regions. The Accountability Document is also intended to clarify Saskatchewan Health’s organizational, program and service expectations of regional health authorities. These expectations are complementary to those articulated in legislation, regulation, policy, and directives subject to amendments and additions/deletions made by the Ministers and/or Saskatchewan Health.

Additionally, information in the Accountability Document is intended to clarify the ways that Saskatchewan Health will evaluate compliance with these expectations. Wherever possible, indicators or measures by which achievement of expectations will be assessed are shown side-by-side with expectations.