News

Level of Care Awarded Highest Accreditation

Newmarket, Ontario (May 12, 2000)  -- York County Hospital is pleased to announce that it recently was awarded a 3-year Accreditation by the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA). This is the highest level of recognition awarded by the council's Board of Directors and is the result of a 3-day intensive on-site evaluation.

The CCHSA commended the hospital for its "emphasis on quality" and the "extensive linkages [that] have been established between every program and various community services, educational institutions and specialty providers."

The CCHSA repeatedly praised the organization for its competent and compassionate caregivers. The report states, "both clients and their families feel that there are strong communication channels and that they are able to provide regular feedback about a number of issues which may affect their care. They have confidence in the physicians and staff."

The 333-bed hospital was also praised for its commitment to quality improvement initiatives and the value it places on teamwork. The report stated, "Changes are regularly made to processes based on data that is collected and the team approach helps to share these improvements throughout the hospital."

"Our hospital has seen a lot of change since the last accreditation survey in 1997. Our staff, physicians and volunteers have continued to work together as a strong, committed team during this time," said hospital president, Daniel Carriere. "It is due to their unwavering commitment to excellence and their dedication to the patients they serve that this hospital has been successful in maintaining such a high level of care."

Carriere added, "As the report states, we have improved tremendously since the last survey and we will continue to emphasize continuous improvement in what we do. We are not always perfect and sometimes we fall short of our vision, but we are continuously focused on trying to do what's best for our patients, staff and community."

The CCHSA's report highlighted pressures that several programs are experiencing due to ongoing growth, cramped space and the problems associated with an aging facility, "The cardiac program is experiencing growth pressure with the increased needs within the region, current space limitations, and the new regional focus. This pressure is expected to continue as the hospital waits to complete its redevelopment project." Comments were also directed towards the emergency department, "The emergency team is commended for both the quality of the care that it provides, as well as for its resilience in handling many trauma and pediatric cases within a facility built for much less volume and critical cases."

Carriere said, "Space continues to be a major issue at the hospital. Although we have started to roll out our expansion plan, we have a long way to go before the entire project will be completed in late 2002."  He added, "In the interim we have moved some out-patient clinics off site and we continue to investigate other options that will allow us to creatively increase and expand the programs and services so desperately needed to serve our communities."

The report highlighted only one recommendation for the hospital - to examine the process whereby patients and families are kept informed regarding the rationale for long waits or delays while in the emergency department, especially as it relates to admission.

Vice-president, Pat Norman acknowledged that changes need to be made, "Communication is a big part of providing a high standard of care so we need to look at our current processes and find ways to make improvements." She added, "The emergency department is a very busy area and with the high population growth we are experiencing it results in patients being delayed, especially when beds are not readily available on the patient care units."

The Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA) is a non-profit non-government organization that helps healthcare organizations across Canada examine and improve the quality of care and service they provide to their clients. More than 1300 healthcare organizations participate in the CCHSA accreditation program. Accreditation is one of the few and most effective measures that healthcare organizations can use to accurately assess their level of performance.

The hospital's next accreditation survey will take place in the year 2003.