SCOPE
Fall 2002
Vol. 9, No. 3

ACCREDITATON VISIT 2002: SCO Health Service—
a Benchmark Facility in Canada

From April 29 to May 3, 2002, four surveyors who work in the healthcare field visited the SCO Health Service on behalf of the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA). This was the first year that the SCO Health Service used new standards—Achieving Improved Measurement (AIM), which asked the organization to evaluate itself against quality dimensions and descriptors. A new feature of the AIM standards incorporated interviews with clients, staff, and community focus groups. The SCO Health Service spent many months preparing for the survey visit by answering
a wide range of questions based on these standards.

The goals of this survey visit were:

• to determine the extent to which we comply to CCHSA standards;
• to determine the degree to which the Mission and Values are reflected in the work we do;
• to determine if the recommendations of the 1999 report have been successfully implemented and provide us with feedback for ongoing improvement;
• to determine the extent to which measurement has been integrated across the organization and how well we have used measurement in ongoing quality improvement;
• to identify areas of excellence in which we are a model of practice.

They visited all sites, interviewing 14 teams across the organization. These included:

• 10 clinical teams—representing all four patient care programs;
• three support teams—representing information, the environment, and human resources;
• one leadership team—composed of members from the Board of Trustees and management.
  

The SCO Health Service was granted “Accreditation,” which means that the organization scored an average rating of 5 or more (out of 7) on all 22 quality descriptors, and there were no high priority recommendations. The final report identified three “Good Practices” within the SCO Health Service. Good Practices are recognized as outstanding ways of operating which have the potential of contributing to their field of practice. These include the Falls Prevention Clinic in the Bronson Pavilion Day Hospital, the Pain and Symptom Management Team’s availability to the community, and a new cleaning process developed in Sweden. The surveyors identified several challenges facing the organization in the coming years, made only one low priority recommendation, and offered several suggestions to the teams on how to improve.

The survey team praised many aspects of the organization, including the client-centered approach used everywhere, the great involvement and contribution of volunteers, the keen interest in knowledge development and improving practices, and the commitment of the organization to continually improve. As one of the surveyors commented: “I jumped at the opportunity to come here because you are a benchmark facility in Canada.” Other comments from the surveyors:

• “A visionary organization which monitors the trends and is a recognized leader for quality of care, teaching, and research.”
• “We salute your honesty, transparency, and courage.”
• “A very dedicated and involved Board with sophisticated expertise.”

Staff at the SCO Health Service can be justifiably proud that the work they do has been commended by an outside organization. The public can rest assured that the Board, management, staff, physicians, and volunteers are providing quality care and service motivated by the values exemplified by the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa. Our pledge is to continue improving the quality of care and service we provide and be ready for the next accreditation visit in 2005.

SCOPE
Fall 2002
Vol. 9, No. 3