TBRHSC Earns Highest Possible Standing in Accreditation Report

For the first time in the Hospital’s history, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) is among a group of select hospitals in Canada to receive the highest possible designation from Accreditation Canada, ‘Accredited with Exemplary Standing’. Exemplary Standing is Accreditation Canada’s highest designation and is awarded to an organization that has gone beyond the requirements of the accreditation program, demonstrating excellence in quality improvements.

“I am proud of our staff, professional staff and volunteers for their ongoing efforts to ensure safe and quality care is always at the forefront of their work,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President and CEO of TBRHSC and CEO of Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. “The past couple of years have been a challenge with the pandemic, yet everyone continued to demonstrate they are committed to excellence in providing care.”

Accreditation Canada surveyors visited TBRHSC from May 15-19, 2022, to conduct an on-site assessment of the Hospital’s leadership, governance, clinical programs and services against a rigorous set of quality and safety standards and required organizational practices. The Accreditation process involves all members of the organization, from the Board of Directors and leadership to frontline staff as well as members of the community including patients and families and community partners.

Among the many high performing areas of the Hospital, the surveyors took special note of TBRHSC’s commitment to improving health care for Indigenous people, and ongoing work focusing on patient and family centred care. As well, community collaborations with both academic institutions and health care providers, where partnerships work together to address challenges, was recognized as a strength.

“This is an outstanding display of commitment and a reflection of the Hospital’s dedication to ongoing improvement,” said TBRHSC Board Chair Gord Wickham. “Quality and safety are extremely important to everyone at TBRHSC and that is very good news for the people and communities we serve.”

TBRHSC met 100 per cent of the Required Organizational Practices, which address high-risk areas in health care and are categorized into six safety areas: Safety Culture, Communication, Medication Use, Infection Control, Worklife/Workforce and Risk Assessment. The Hospital’s overall compliance rating resulted in 99.19 per cent.

“This is the highest survey score TBRHSC has ever received,” said Jennifer Wintermans, VP, Quality and Corporate Affairs. “Quality health care matters and the survey challenged us to meet national standards of excellence and working to continually improve the quality and safety of our services.”

Over the next few months, TBRHSC will be working to address the recommendations made by the accreditation surveyors.