Accreditation Accolades

Publication date:  September 27, 2011

There are many trades and professions that require their members to undergo a recertification process of sorts, to prove that they’re keeping up with changes in their fields of study. This is no different in the healthcare industry, and in fact, for the hospital as a whole.

Healthcare advances at a rapid pace, and it’s important for hospitals to regularly and consistently examine and improve the quality of their services.  

Every three years, the hospital participates in a voluntary accreditation process, or an independent peer review, to ensure we continue to meet international standards of excellence. 

This process took place once again in recent months, culminating with an on-site assessment earlier this month. 

During the assessment, three healthcare officials from hospitals across the country visited each department of the hospital, examined our processes and policies and asked questions of the entire team from the frontline to the Board of Governors.

The Accreditation Canada surveyors determine whether or not our patient care processes are of the highest quality and as safe as possible; they investigate how the hospital is run as a business; and they examine the worklife culture. 

Tracking our patient care processes involved following the care path a patient would take upon entering the emergency department, or arriving for surgery, until discharge. The surveyors not only asked the front-line healthcare providers how certain procedures are performed, they asked patients for their opinion.

Throughout the three day visit, the surveyors checked to see if the hospital was meeting a list of criteria. The list is long: there are 2090 criteria that are applied to operations at the Ross. 

We’re extremely pleased to report that we met 99% of them – a rare and remarkable score. 

Our level of compliance against the Accreditation Canada standards indicates that our strategies are successful; we are setting and achieving appropriate goals and objectives and our plans for continual improvement align with the highest level of hospital care. 

The surveyors made special note of the “strong commitment to quality patient care as evidenced by the Board of Governors, senior leadership, middle management, physicians, staff and volunteers”. 

They recognized that the Ross team is “extremely knowledgeable, focused and proud of the quality culture the organization espouses”, citing the hospital’s values: respect, compassion, excellence, accountability and teamwork.

Participating in the accreditation process not only helps the hospital to evaluate its performance, it shows the community that the hospital cares about patient safety and providing quality service. 

While the onsite visit by the Accreditation Canada surveyors shows only a glimpse of life at the Ross; our work to meet and exceed the highest hospital standards carries on every day. Improvement is an ongoing effort that includes continuing education and training, investment in technology, and careful long term planning. 

The health of our community is well worth it.