Accreditation

Western Health is committed to continually improving our services. Accreditation is one of the most effective ways for Western Health to regularly and consistently examine and improve the quality of our services. Participation in Accreditation Canada’s accreditation program allows us to evaluate our performance against national standards of excellence and enables us to identify opportunities to improve care and services in a way that transparent.

In October 2018, Western Health received Accreditation with Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada.  This award is the highest level of accreditation and means that Western Health has exceeded national standards of excellence. Achieving Accreditation with Exemplary Standing is a testament to our staff and their unwavering commitment to providing safe, excellent care in partnership with clients, patients, residents and families.

Western Health's Accreditation Report 2018

Western Health's Accreditation Report 2013    

Laboratory Accreditation

Patient safety at Western Health has been further enhanced with the accreditation of all six medical laboratories within Western Health.

The following laboratories have been assessed and granted four-year accreditation certificates by the Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare (IQMH):

• Bonne Bay Health Centre, Norris Point,
• Calder Health Centre, Burgeo
• Dr. Charles L. LeGrow Health Care Centre, Port aux Basques
• Rufus Guinchard Health Centre, Port Saunders
• Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital, Stephenville
• Western Memorial Regional Hospital, Corner Brook

The IQMH was contracted by the Provincial Government to lead and complete the accreditation process. Accreditation is a peer review process which ensures that laboratories meet explicit quality management criteria, standardize their processes, and meet national benchmarks. To achieve this, a laboratory undergoes an accreditation assessment visit conducted by a team of peers comprised of both quality system and technical experts carefully tailored to the scope of testing of the laboratory. If areas of non-conformance are cited, the laboratory is expected to take corrective action within 90 days of the visit. A panel determines if the laboratory meets the criteria for an accreditation certificate. Ongoing surveillance that includes a self-assessment mid-cycle, monitoring of proficiency testing/external quality assessment and changes within the laboratory ensures continued competency between assessment visits. Any corrective needs were identified and addressed and the laboratories then received accreditation.