August 12, 2015
A strong commitment to patient safety, the positive impact of Strategic Clinical Networks, and a caring and highly-competent workforce were some of the strengths noted by Accreditation Canada in its report following the May 11-15 survey visit.
Accreditation Canada’s final report shows Alberta Health Services met 92.4 per cent of all criteria and 93.5 per cent of their high-priority criteria.
“The surveyors indicated this is a remarkable result, especially for an organization of our size,” said Vickie Kaminski, AHS President and CEO. “These findings demonstrate that AHS is committed to providing quality and safe care to Albertans. I credit the hard work our staff and physicians do every day as the primary reason we were able to meet such a high-percentage of Accreditation Canada’s criteria.”
In total, 106 AHS sites were part of the survey visit, and the following strengths were recognized by Accreditation Canada surveyors:
Accreditation Canada surveyors also identified areas for system-wide improvements, including:
“Staff, physicians and leaders are developing plans to address the unmet required organizational practices (ROP) and other areas for improvement,” said Dr. Verna Yiu, Vice President Quality and Chief Medical Officer. “A recurring theme from the surveyors’ report is the need to consistently implement standardized practices across the organization, which we will continue to work toward.”
The resulting progress in achieving ROP compliance will be reported to Accreditation Canada in October 2015 and 2016.
Accreditation Canada standards allow health service organizations to embed practical and effective quality improvement and patient safety initiatives into their daily operations, and helps ensure that AHS is providing the best possible patient- and family-centred care.
AHS continues to hold accredited status until the next accreditation decision is made in 2017.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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