Behind the Scenes: Accreditation at CCH
2024-07-20
By President & CEO Jeanette Despatie - Published in the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder on Saturday, July 20th, 2024
I am excited to share
that Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) has been awarded with Exemplary Standing
by Accreditation Canada.
Accreditation Canada is a
non-profit, independent organization which assesses healthcare facilities
across the country against a set of national quality and safety standards.
Exemplary Standing is the highest standing awarded by Accreditation Canada,
reserved only for those who exceed the fundamental accreditation requirements.
Surveyors from
Accreditation Canada travelled to CCH in May to conduct a thorough on-site
evaluation over several days. They visited multiple departments, shadowed staff
and physicians during patient and client care, reviewed hospital documentation
and policies, and spoke with a wide range of people, including staff,
physicians, patients, clients, families, caregivers, volunteers, and community
partners.
The surveyors found
that CCH is meeting 100% of the Required Organizational Practices and 1,852
standards, surpassing 99% compliance. This not only exceeds the basic
accreditation requirements but also demonstrates excellence in delivering the
safest and highest quality care.
Accreditation occurs
every four years and is pivotal in guiding our continuous improvement journey. Despite
challenges
since our previous survey, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and
a cyber incident last year, CCH has continued to innovate and excel,
maintaining its Exemplary Standing and surpassing even more standards today
than in 2019.
According to the final
report, the surveyors noted several key strengths for CCH during their visit:
· Excellence in Care and Services: Surveyors
commended all teams for delivering outstanding care, with high satisfaction
reported by patients, clients, and families.
· People-Centred Care: CCH has
made significant progress in people-centred care as patients, families and
clients are involved in setting goals and are part of the care team. The
hospital’s patient, client and family advisory committees are active and
involved in program development and improvement of services.
· Community Reputation: CCH holds
an excellent reputation within the community and beyond, known for its culture
of caring and its ICARE values of Integrity, Compassion, Accountability,
Respect and Engagement.
· Trusted Partnerships: CCH is
recognized as a collaborative partner with diverse community groups, fostering
trust and openness.
· Leadership and Governance: The
skills-based, experienced Board and senior leadership at CCH were recognized
for their people-centred decisions and ethical framework, ensuring the
organization meets its mission and vision and delivers on its strategic
priorities.
· Resilience and Planning: The
hospital demonstrated remarkable resilience in managing the pandemic, health
human resources challenges, and a cyber incident, all while developing a new
strategic plan and preparing for accreditation.
· Work Life Culture: Staff,
physicians, and volunteers enjoy working at CCH, feel supported, and appreciate
the hospital’s recognition and reward programs.
· Quality Improvement and Innovation: CCH has
embraced a culture of quality improvement and risk management, with a focus on
continuous innovation and patient safety.
I am immensely grateful
and proud of our CCH teams for this remarkable achievement and their unwavering
dedication to delivering the best possible care to our patients and clients. I
also want to thank our community for your ongoing trust and support. We
recognize that there are always opportunities to improve on our delivery of
care and we remain committed to identifying and delivering on these
opportunities to meet the evolving needs of our population.