REPORT BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
|AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
16
monitors progress on the chosen themes at the annual level. The
Board of Directors also decides on guidelines and policies.
Pihlajalinna respects internationally recognised human rights and
equality. Pihlajalinna does not condone discrimination based on em-
ployees’ and practitioners’ origin, nationality, religious beliefs, ethnic-
ity, gender,
age or any other such factor. Pihlajalinna’s
Code of Con-
duct describes the way the company operates, based on the princi-
ples of good governance and law, transparency,
fairness and confi-
dentiality. The Code of Conduct also includes the company’s commit-
ment to the prevention of bribery and corruption, compliance with
competition law and cooperation with stakeholders. Training on the
Code of Conduct is part of the induction training programme, and all
Pihlajalinna professionals are required to complete the training.
Pihlajalinna has a confidential whistleblowing channel that can be
used for reporting activities that violate the Code of Conduct. Pihla-
jalinna’s Board of Directors monitors compliance with the Code of
Conduct. During the 2022 reporting period, a total of four notifica-
tions were received via the whistleblowing channel. Each whistle-
blower report was investigated and none of them led to any further
action. In addition, no activities contrary to legislation or the Code of
Conduct or misconduct were identified on the basis of the reports.
Pihlajalinna manages sustainability in a clear manner to ensure that
the company operates in a responsible and ethical manner and pro-
motes and enables the achievement of the set targets.
Sustainability risks and opportunities
The most significant risks associated with the material sustainability
themes are assessed and efforts are made to limit their potential im-
pacts as part of the company’s general risk management process. The
most material identified sustainability risks are related to clinical
quality and safety, the availability and retention of highly competent
professionals, information security and values, ethics and consistent
operating practices.
Limiting risks related to clinical quality, patient safety,
values, ethics
and consistent operating practices is among Pihlajalinna’s most signif-
icant risk management measures. Pihlajalinna also has an ISO
9001:2105 quality management system certificate. Pro-moting the
continuous training of the company’s professionals as well as promot-
ing consistent operating practices by means of Pihlajalinna’s quality
and patient safety policy and Code of Conduct play a key role. This en-
sures consistent quality and impactful services for the company’s cus-
tomers. The development of operations enables the development of
new innovations for work with patients. Pihlajalinna participates in
research to promote clinical quality and impact.
Pihlajalinna has identified uncertainties related to the availability of
personnel in the field of social and healthcare services. By promoting
the employee experience through good leadership, career develop-
ment and equality, the company aims to attract and retain healthcare
professionals – both experienced professionals and those who are in
the early stages of their career. Pihlajalinna also participates in pro-
jects that promote international recruitment.
In all of its operations, Pihlajalinna takes into account data protection,
information security and the related requirements. The company has
taken preparations for the risk of cyber attacks, which has been ele-
vated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The aim is to ensure the secure
processing of patient and personal data as well as the protection of
the privacy of patients, customers and the company’s personnel. A
further goal is the prevention of disruptions in the functioning of criti-
cal information systems that could jeopardise service availability.
Data protection and information security are an important part of
Pihlajalinna’s ISO 9001 certified quality management system.
Due to the nature of its operations, the company’s carbon intensity is
low. Pihlajalinna has not identified significant environmental or cli-
mate related risks that directly impact its operations. However, the
company is aware of long-term and medium-term environmental and
climate-related risks related to, for example, the availability of financ-
ing and operating costs. The company is preparing to introduce an
ISO 14001 environmental management system in part of its opera-
tions during 2023 and will continue to assess climate risks in 2023.
Sustainability themes and key results
Pihlajalinna’s key sustainability themes are responsibility for health
and wellbeing, responsibility for personnel, and sustainable business.
Responsibility for health and wellbeing
Clinical quality and impact are among the company’s highest priori-
ties. The professional competence of the personnel is the foundation
of patient safety. The qualifications of employees are verified during
recruitment and they receive induction training in accordance with
the applicable induction training programme. We actively develop
the professional competence of our personnel.
Pihlajalinna’s quality management is based on comprehensive self-
monitoring. The self-monitoring plan was updated in 2022. Self-moni-
toring makes it possible to quickly identify risks related to quality or
safety. The business locations have a reporting system for the per-
sonnel to report any deviations. Customers report any problems they
observe either directly to the personnel or through Pihlajalinna’s
Pihlajalinna is a significant operator in specialised care. The objective
of surgical operations is to implement a quick and high-quality chain
of care, enabling quick recovery and rehabilitation for patients. Ac-
cess to surgical treatment within the target time has been highlighted
as one of the company’s key sustainability indicators. With regard to
access to surgical procedures for customers who are unable to work,
Pihlajalinna aims to offer the first available surgical appointment
within five weekdays. In 2022, the target for this was set at 66 per
cent, and the target was achieved.
In occupational health services, the prevention of illness is in every-
one’s interest and helps reduce costs. The emphasis on preventive
activities in occupational healthcare is monitored on a professional
group-specific basis. Pihlajalinna’s minimum target for the share of
preventive work in the invoicing of occupational health physicians
was 60 per cent in 2022. In 2022, preventive work accounted for 61.1
per cent of invoicing.
Pihlajalinna aims for an excellent customer experience in all of its ser-
vices. The systematic collection and processing of feedback enables
the company to develop services, processes and operating models ac-
cording to the customers’ wishes. Pihlajalinna uses the Net Promoter
Score (NPS) to measure the customer experience. Pihlajalinna reports
NPS in two parts. The NPS for Pihlajalinna’s appointments was 77.1