Accreditation process puts residents first
Corporate initiative uses new approach
Tuesday March 11, 2008 -- Camille Jensen
Pleasant Meadow Manor administrator Sandra Brow says OMNI’s new accreditation process emphasizes the importance of resident care.

The Norwood long-term care home along with 15 other OMNI homes recently completed an accreditation process conducted by the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA) from March 2-7.

While all OMNI homes have been accredited in the past, Brow says the CCHSA took a new approach to OMNI’s corporate accreditation.

“They’ve turned it around so the resident is first,” says Brow who adds that previous systems have focused more on policy.

Under the new system, surveyors begin by touring the home and talking to residents and staff.

Only after talking to residents and staff did surveyors begin to look at policy, says Brow who believes the new system to take a much friendlier approach.

Having inspectors tour the home as opposed to lengthy meetings with staff members also decreased the pressure of accreditation, says Tina Cole.

Cole, administrator at Kentwood Park, was pleased with the new process and felt the surveyors informal approach a great way to get answers.

“They spent a lot more time talking to the staff and residents so it was quite different,” says Cole.

She says staff members felt more comfortable with the new process because they weren’t put on the spot or interviewed for long periods of time.

The new system introduced online surveys as a new way to get feedback from staff members.

Overall, both homes say the process was beneficial.

“It’s always nice to have fresh pair of eyes on things,” says Brow who feels the accreditation process strengthens transparency.

“It’s also nice to be patted on the back,” adds Brow who says Pleasant Meadows was below the average for urinary tract infections.

Cole says the new accreditation process is a great system and let the inspectors see just what the Picton long-term care home is all about.

“We were told we were a great home with a lot of heart.”

What did your home learn from accreditation?  To share your stories, please contact camille(at)axiomnews.ca

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at (800) 294-0051 or e-mail camille(at)axiomnews.ca.