“I am very pleased to report that we have been granted Accreditation with Report from the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA),” advised Mike Gallant, Board Chair of the Kings Health Region Board. “CCHSA is a non-profit organization that assists the Kings Health Region in assessing the quality of our organizations’ services with nationally accepted standards.”
Every three years, as part of the Accreditation process, Kings Health Region takes part in a self assessment process followed by a survey visit by a team of four health professionals. These surveyors complete a review of documentation, conduct team interviews, facility tours, and focus group meetings with clients, staff, and community partners.
Highlights of the survey team findings include an acknowledgment of the challenges of amalgamating two former health regions. Staff of Kings Region were complimented on the progress achieved following the last accreditation visit. The survey team also acknowledged that through the amalgamation process administrative positions were reduced and as a result resources were reallocated to support teams and address risk areas. Reallocated resources included staff education, infection control, and results measurement.
The Kings Health Region was also recognized for initiatives around healthy living, its focus on children 0 - 6, and the benefits to clients from the amalgamation of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The transfer, lift, and repositioning (TLR) policy and training, designed to reduce work-related risks for staff and improve the quality of care for our clients, was also recognized.
There are seven recommendations on which Kings Health Region must report back to the Canadian Council of Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA). The follow-up report must address issues related to patient safety, a communication plan related to the Kings Health Region strategic plan and a risk management framework for the region.
Kings Health Region was also recognized for an area of “good practice.” Such recognition is not common and should be celebrated. “Good practices” are noteworthy practices carried out by the organization and tied to national quality of care standards. Whereas strengths are recognized for what they contribute to the organization, “good practices” are notable for what they could contribute to the “field of practice.” Following is the “good practice” recognition received from the CCHSA:
“The addiction services to children 12 and older is an excellent example of client- driven service. Youth take a central role in determining what happens and are the case manager in any case conferencing processes. Youth report getting ongoing support from the youth addiction counselor over time such that when they are ready to deal with their addiction they already have a trust relationship with their youth addiction counselor.”
“We are very pleased with the results of our accreditation report”, stated Betty Fraser, Chief Executive Officer. “We commend all our staff, board, physicians and community partners for the quality of the health services that we provide for residents of our Region.”