North York General Hospital Awarded Highest Accreditation Designation Toronto, April 16, 2010 — North York General Hospital has received Accreditation, the highest designation from Accreditation Canada. This achievement places the hospital among a small percentage of health services organizations across the country that receive Accreditation. The results are "impressive" according to surveyors from Accreditation Canada, who conducted on-site surveys of all three North York General Hospital sites. The surveyors highlighted the hospital's excellence in patient care and safety, quality improvements and system partnerships. "Our top priority is to provide safety, quality care to our patients and their families," says Bonnie Adamson, President and CEO, North York General Hospital. "I am very proud of our staff, physicians and volunteers who work hard each and every day to accomplish this." The hospital received Accreditation by meeting national compliance rates for Quality Dimensions, Required Organizational Practices and Standards set out by Accreditation Canada — a not-for-profit, independent organization that provides health organizations with an external review to assess the quality of their services based on national standards of excellence. Examples of outstanding performance were many. The surveyors used 1,611 criteria to rate the hospital, some being in the area of Infection Control. North York General Hospital met 100 per cent of the applicable requirements in this area, from delivering hand hygiene education and training to evaluating hand hygiene compliance practices. Hand hygiene compliance is just one of the essential practices that the hospital excelled in to earn its Accreditation status. "The accreditation program is one of the most effective ways for the hospital to consistently examine and improve the quality of its services," says Karyn Popovich, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, North York General Hospital. "As a learning organization, we embrace opportunities like this to help us ensure we are meeting the needs of our community." In the hospital's final report, Wendy Nicklin, President and CEO, Accreditation Canada congratulates North York General Hospital on reaching this important milestone: "Your ongoing efforts to incorporate Accreditation Canada standards and tools into your programs and services have been, and will continue to be, of great benefit to your organization, your staff, the people you serve, and your community." Accreditation Canada improves patient safety through its accreditation process, which identifies conditions of unsafe practice and supports health-care organizations to promote safe care, reduce risk and foster continuous quality improvement. Organizations participating in the process are eligible for one of three Accreditation decisions: Accreditation, Accreditation with Condition, and Non-Accreditation. Historically, approximately 80 per cent of hospitals in Canada receive Accreditation with Condition, the remaining 20 per cent receive full or non-accreditation status. About North York General Hospital:
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