GBGH is exemplary again! Hospital achieves highest standing for quality and safety
Photo: Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop joined team members from Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) to celebrate the hospital’s recent Accreditation result of Accredited with Exemplary Standing. This is the highest level achievable during the recent Accreditation process the hospital underwent in November 2023, meeting more than 99 per cent of standards and 100 per cent of required organizational practices.
January 16, 2024 – Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) has received the results of its recent survey by Accreditation Canada and has achieved the highest level of recognition – Accredited with Exemplary Standing. During the four-day survey, GBGH was evaluated based on nearly 2,100 standards, of which more than 99 per cent were met, and 30 required organizational practices (ROPs), of which 100 per cent were achieved.
“We continually strive to improve the care we provide our patients at GBGH and participating in Accreditation is one of the many ways we can assess our progress,” says Matthew Lawson, president and CEO, GBGH. “As part of that ongoing commitment to improvement, it is valuable for our team here to have experts evaluate the hospital from the fresh perspective of an outsider to the organization. They may see enhancements to existing services and processes, or could have new ideas to improve GBGH for patients and the team.”
Accreditation is an ongoing process of assessing health and social services organizations against standards of excellence to identify what is going well, in addition to opportunities for improvement. Hospitals across Canada volunteer to be assessed using Accreditation Canada’s standards to enhance quality and safety, reduce risk, increase efficiency and make better use of resources.
During the course of the four-day survey held November 20 – 23, four health care experts from across Canada spent time with GBGH’s frontline teams and leaders to learn about all aspects of the hospital. Their insights will inform plans for the hospital over the next several years.
“As a representative of the community and on behalf of the Board of Directors, I am continually impressed and proud of our hospital,” says Tim Kastelic, chair, GBGH Board of Directors. “GBGH’s performance in this Accreditation process – as measured not only by the scores, but by the surveyors’ feedback – is outstanding. All team members should be congratulated for their efforts and feel so proud of how they’ve directly contributed to this tremendous result, which is representative of GBGH’s patient care every day.”
Particular strengths of GBGH noted during the survey include: the dedication of the staff and professional staff; safety rounds and quality plans which provide a standard approach across the hospital; engagement with patients and family members in planning and decision-making; relationships with community partners; medication safety framework; and the hospital’s falls prevention program.
“GBGH has achieved a remarkable result during its recent Accreditation survey which bolsters my continuing confidence in this hospital and the quality of care they are consistently delivering,” says Jill Dunlop, member of provincial parliament for Simcoe North and minister of Colleges and Universities. “As a member of this community, I feel assured GBGH is invested in providing excellent care with an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement in quality, safety and efficiency.”
Accreditation is a voluntary assessment process conducted by Accreditation Canada – an independent, not-for-profit Canadian organization – which evaluates more than 1,100 Canadian organizations across the entire spectrum of healthcare. During accreditation, all aspects of the organization are assessed based on best practices, to identify what the organization does well and what needs to be improved.
GBGH was last surveyed in 2019 and achieved the result of Accredited with Exemplary Standing for meeting 98 per cent of standards and 100 per cent of ROPs.
The full report can be found on the hospital’s website – https://gbgh.on.ca/gbghmedia/2023-GBGH-Final-Accreditation-Report.pdf
Accreditation Canada delivers a wide range of high-impact assessment programs for health and social services organizations. Accreditation Canada works with more than 900 expert peer surveyors with extensive health care and social services experience and trained in its customized, continuous assessment program. For more information on Accreditation Canada, visit – https://accreditation.ca/
Contact:
Jennifer Moore
Director, Communications & Community Relations
Georgian Bay General Hospital
705-526-1300 ext. 5177