York Central Hospital receives three-year accreditation

York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill announces it recently received a threeyear accreditation rating, following an extensive peer review process conducted by members of the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA) in November.

Even though the hospital receives a preliminary debriefing before the accreditation survey team leaves the facility, the official report on its findings is not usually released until 60 to 90 days after the survey is completed.

"We are proud to have this kind of validation of the quality of care provided here at York Central Hospital by the CCHSA," commented Bruce Harber, president and CEO of the hospital. "The accreditation process involves an extremely comprehensive review of all services to ensure that a hospital is not only meeting the required standards of care but has embraced a philosophy of continuous quality improvement."

Among the highlights of the 145-page report were commendations on York Central's collaborations with its community, responsiveness to change, enthusiasm of staff, evidence of Infection Control practices throughout the hospital and recognition of patient safety initiatives. The surveyors also complimented the hospital on its ongoing capacity building journey to enhance patient and staff satisfaction as well as its excellent reputation in the community as confirmed by the members of its community partners focus group.

"One area of the report that we are particularly proud of is the feedback from the client focus group, encompassing patients and their families from across the hospital," Harber said. "A strong theme that emerged from their discussions was the unanimous agreement on the caring nature of York Central staff."

Just as valuable as the commendations, were the opportunities for improvement identified by the accreditation survey team. High level organizational opportunities for improvement identified were: formalizing an organizational ethical decision-making process, development of a formal diversity program in order to ensure responsiveness to the needs of our diverse population, and several space and physical plant infrastructure issues including the development of creative interim solutions until the first two phases of the hospital's major expansion and renovation project are completed.The surveyors encouraged the hospital to make the upgrading of its operating rooms a priority to enable it to reduce patient waiting times and better respond to the tremendous and ongoing growth of its community.

"Congratulations to all staff, physicians, board members and volunteers who participated in the accreditation process," Harber added. "Special thanks also to the accreditation team leaders and team members for all of their efforts.

By participating in the accreditation process, we have demonstrated our commitment to providing quality care and service in the community."