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Thunder Bay hospital gets accredited with 'exemplary' standing

The hospital was recently inspected by Accreditation Canada.
Thunder Bay Regional Rear

THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre impressed a team of evaluators from Accreditation Canada who recently visited the hospital.

Surveyors from the independent, not-for-profit organization spent a week at TBRHSC in May to conduct an on-site assessment of leadership, governance, clinical programs and services.

In an announcement Wednesday, TBRHSC described the results as "outstanding."

It said that for the first time in the hospital's history, it's among a select group to receive Accreditation Canada's highest possible rating – Exemplary Standing.

The assessment measures performance against a set of quality and safety standards and required organizational practices.

An executive summary of the report is available online.

The hospital's statement said TBRHSC met 100 per cent of the necessary organizational practices, which address high-risk areas in health care including safety culture, communication, medication use, infection control, worklife/workforce and risk assessment.

Its overall compliance rating, it said, was 99.19 per cent.

The accreditation process involves consultation with all members of the organization, from the board of directors to frontline staff, as well as community members including patients and families.

TBRHSC noted in its statement that the surveyors remarked on the hospital's efforts to improve health care for Indigenous people, and its ongoing work focusing on patient and family-centred care.

It said community collaborations with academic institutions as well as other health care providers were also recognized as a strength.

Details were not immediately available, but the hospital said it will work in the coming months to address recommendations made by the accreditation team.

Those recommendations would apply to the few areas where the hospital fell short of 100 per cent.

Board Chair Gord Wickham called the overall report "An outstanding display of commitment and a reflection of the hospital's dedication to ongoing improvement."

He said "Quality and safety are extremely important to everyone...and that is very good news for the people and communities we serve."

TBRHSC president and CEO Rhonda Crocker Ellacott said she's proud of the staff, professional staff and volunteers for their efforts "to ensure safe and quality care is always at the forefront of their work."

Crocker Ellacott added that the past couple of years have been a challenge due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but everyone has demonstrated that continuing commitment.

Accreditation Canada said TBRHSC has gone beyond the requirements of the accreditation program and demonstrates excellence in quality improvement.

It also commended the hospital for integrating accreditation into its operations.  

TBRHSC's accreditation is good until May 2026 provided program requirements are still met.




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