Rules of Procedure of the Finnish Student Health Service
These rules of procedure were last updated 30 October 2023.
1. General
The Finnish Student Health Service acts in compliance with the current legislation, the Foundation’s By-Laws, the regulations contained in these Rules of Procedure, and any other instructions and orders given by the Board of Trustees or any party authorised by the Board. The Foundation also has Financial Regulations that govern its financial decision-making.
These shall be interpreted in the following order of precedence:
- The Foundation’s By-Laws
- The Foundation’s Rules of Procedure
- The Foundation’s Financial Regulations
- Any other instructions and orders
2. The Council and the Board of Trustees
2.1 The Council
The Council’s duties and composition are determined by the Foundation’s By-Laws.
2.2 The Board of Trustees
The composition of the Board of Trustees (hereinafter “The Board”) is determined by the Foundation’s By-Laws. The Board is responsible for managing and developing the Foundation’s activities. In accordance with the Foundations Act (487/2015) the Board is responsible for the administration of the Foundation and for ensuring that the Foundation’s activities are appropriately organised to achieve its purpose (general authority invested in the Board of Trustees). The Board is responsible for the appropriate organisation of control for the Foundation’s bookkeeping and finances.
The Board’s duties are:
- To direct and supervise the Foundation’s upper management.
- To decide on the Foundation’s strategy and to monitor its implementation.
- To approve the Foundation’s plan of operations, budget, and development and investment projects, and to supervise their implementation.
- To consider, in advance, any strategically important statements and any matters to be discussed with the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela).
- To establish internal supervision policies.
- To consider any matters that the Board’s Chair and the Managing Director propose for inclusion on the agenda.
- To annually assess its own activities and its collaboration with the Managing Group.
The Board elects the Managing Director. The Board also elects the Medical Director, the CFO and CIO, the HR Director and the Regional Directors on the recommendation of the Managing Director.
The primary duty of the Board’s Chair is to manage, coordinate and develop the Board’s work so that its duties are carried out efficiently. It is the Chair’s duty to ensure that the decisions made by the Board are implemented. It is also the duty of the Chair to represent the Board in dealings with the Managing Director and the rest of the Management Team, and, in that capacity, to stay in regular contact with the Managing Director and the Management Team.
2.3 The Board’s working committee
The working committee’s duty is to prepare matters for consideration by the Board. The Board elects the working committee from among its members.
3. The Managing Director and management
3.1 The Managing Director
The Managing Director is responsible for ensuring that the Foundation fulfils its purpose and attends to the Foundation’s everyday administration as instructed and ordered by the Board (general authority invested in the Managing Director) The Managing Director is responsible for ensuring that the Foundation’s bookkeeping is in compliance with the law and that its financial management is reliably arranged. The Managing Director provides the Board and its members with the information required for the Board to perform its duties.
The Managing Director may only take measures that are, considering the scope and nature of the Foundation’s activities, unusual or extensive if authorised to do so by the Board if waiting for a decision by the Board would cause the Foundation’s operations considerable harm. In the latter case the Board must be informed of the measures as soon as possible.
The Board and the Managing Director shall agree on the objectives set for the Managing Director and the associated review on an annual basis.
The Managing Director is responsible for presenting all matters for discussion at Board meetings. The Managing Director may delegate this duty to others.
The Medical Director acts as a deputy for the Managing Director.
3.2 Employees with Managerial Duties
The Medical Director works under the Managing Director as the director responsible for healthcare and medical care services as stipulated in the legislation governing private healthcare. The Medical Director is also responsible for the overall management and coordination of healthcare and medical care operations, for steering, planning and developing, at the level of the entire Foundation, the Foundation’s healthcare and medical care sector, for coordinating activities, and for reporting activity figures. The Medical Director also manages the Foundation’s centralised remote and digital services and is responsible, at the Foundation level, for the actions taken to promote student health. The Medical Director is also responsible for the Foundation’s research activities. The Medical Director of Dentistry works under the Medical Director as the director responsible for oral health services as stipulated in the legislation governing private healthcare.
The CFO and CIO is responsible for directing finances, information management and procurement and for the associated processes and their development, and for premises. The CFO and CIO reports to the Managing Director.
The HR Director is responsible for the management of human resources and for the associated processes and their development. The HR Director reports to the Managing Director.
3.3 Other administrative staff
Other administrative staff are appointed by the Managing Director.
3.4 The Management Team
The Management Team is appointed by the Managing Director and subject to approval by the Board.
Experts for the Management Team as well as details of how meetings are to be carried out are decided by the Managing Director.
3.5 Representatives of the employer
The Board, the Managing Director, members of the Management Team, and Regional Directors act as representatives of the employer on behalf of the Foundation.
4. Service regions
4.1 Definition
The Foundation performs its basic duties in five service regions and through nationwide centralised services.
There may be several service units in a given service region.
The division into regions and the service units within them are approved by the Board.
4.2 Regional Directors
Each service region has a Regional Director, who is responsible for its operations and finances, and who reports to the Managing Director.
Regional Directors are responsible for meeting the objectives set for their region by the Board, for ensuring that their region’s operations are profitable and for developing their region’s activities together with the persons in charge of sectors in their region.
Each Regional Director is also required to promote cooperation with the Board and other regions.
Regional Directors appoint staff for the region and are responsible for any decision-making related to human resources as instructed and ordered by the Managing Director.
Each Regional Director appoints their own deputy.
4.3 Service region Management Groups
Each region has a Management Group appointed by the Board.
Each Management Group’s term of office is two calendar years.
Each Regional Management Group consists of a Chair and a Vice Chair and a minimum of six and a maximum of eight other members. A Management Group may have more members if so decided by the Board. Members numbering no fewer than two and no more than the number of student unions in the region shall represent student unions for educational institutions falling under the region’s responsibility. In each Regional Management Group one member shall represent the region’s staff, at least two and no more than four members shall represent higher education institutions under the region’s responsibility, and at least one member shall represent the region’s public healthcare providers.
Each Management Group appoints a Chair and a Vice Chair from among its members and invites a person to act as its secretary.
Each Management Group is responsible for monitoring its region’s operations and changes in the operating environment, and the study community work and health promotion activities carried out in the region. The Management Group must be notified of any changes concerning the region’s service units as well as any other matters that significantly influence activities in the region concerned. Each Management Group works together with higher education institutions, student unions and student associations under the region’s responsibility, as well as public healthcare within the region and other bodies concerned with student healthcare.
Management Groups have the right to put before the Board matters concerning the work of their region and the development of its activities and to appoint a representative to the Board meeting at which the matter concerned is to be discussed.
Management Group members have the right to introduce matters related to their service region to be discussed at Management group meetings.
Management Groups also deal with any other matters put forward by the Board, the Managing Director or the Regional Director.
Management Groups deal with matters as presented by the service region’s Director.
The Regional Director decides on the participation of other employees from the service region in Management Group meetings.
5. Forwarding matters for decision by the Board
With the exception of specific treatment decisions concerning healthcare provided to students, the Managing Director may choose to forward any matters for discussion by the Board.
6. Application of the Rules of Procedure
Where necessary, the Board and the Managing Director shall provide instructions for the application of these Rules of Procedure.
7. Entry into force
These Rules of Procedure were approved at a Board meeting on 30 October 2023.