Prince Edward Island's five health regions have each received national three-year accreditation status following an external review by the Canadian Council On Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA) in June, 1998.
Accreditation is a voluntary process to assist health providers to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement in their organizations. CCHSA is a national non-profit organization committed to promoting excellence in the provision of health care and services and the efficient use of resources.
"What the accreditation results mean for Islanders is that we can be assured of a high level of quality in health care and service delivery across the province, based on national standards," said Health and Social Services Minister Mildred Dover.
"For the health system, accreditation is an important public accountability tool, a report card which gives us high marks for service quality," she said.
The minister said that staff, physicians and volunteers are to be commended for the excellent results achieved through a process that was lengthy and at times very demanding.
The accreditors had very positive comments about front line staff, she said, "They indicated that care and service are being provided by staff who are caring, committed to a client-centred approach, and dedicated to continually improving the quality of care and services provided."
The regions received commendations from the accreditors in several areas such as attention to confidentiality and security of client information, referral processes and management of physical environments.
Recommendations for growth and improvement were made in areas such as continued development of regional policies and by-laws, more formal workload measurement systems, and improved provincial pharmacy delivery systems.
Regional boards were commended for their progress in the integration of regional services and the establishment of partnerships which support a more holistic approach to care.
At the same time, it was recommended that boards could benefit from more clarity in roles to facilitate strategic planning throughout the system.
"We acknowledge this concern," said Minister Dover. "Since receiving the survey results this week, we have met with the Boards and they are aware that we are very close to bringing forth recommendations to strengthen the regional structure and accountability."
Minister Dover said that, generally, board members and staff are very pleased with the survey results.
"They reaffirm for us our belief in a system which provides a high level of service quality, client satisfaction and staff commitment. The results also confirm the need to clarify directions for boards, and we will be moving on this very quickly," she said.
The Minister also noted the value that the accreditation process itself has for clients, boards and staff. "It is an opportunity to assess our own performance both internally and against national standards. It is also a good opportunity for staff and community to come together to learn about and assess related services," she said.
Prince Edward Island is the first province in Canada to become fully accredited using new CCHSA regional standards.