About Accreditation

It's a four-peat!

St. Joseph’s once again earns Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada

St. Joseph’s Health Care London is pleased to share that after our most recent accreditation survey in October 2023, we have once again received the highest designation from Accreditation Canada and have been awarded “Accredited with Exemplary Standing,” extending our title to 16 straight years.

During the accreditation survey, five surveyors from across the country- including a patient surveyor- spend nearly a week visiting St. Joseph’s sites to measure the organization’s performance against a rigorous set of standards.  

Out of 1,715 criteria, St. Joseph’s met 1,713, including every 'Required Organizational Practice’ (99.9 per cent) -the organization’s best accreditation result to date. A Required Organizational Practice (ROP) is an essential practice that organizations must have in place to enhance patient/client safety and minimize risk.

These results were achieved under Accreditation Canada’s new Qmentum Global Program which includes a more rigorous scoring process, making the achievement of exemplary standing even more impressive than in previous years. St. Joseph’s was among the first hospitals in Ontario to be measured under these new standards.

“Participation in the accreditation process is vital to the ongoing improvement of patient safety and quality of services within our organization,” says Roy Butler, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s. “The bar is set high and that is where we want it. We were assessed against more than a thousand criteria and our staff, physicians, volunteers and care partners stepped up to the challenge- achieving exemplary standing for the fourth consecutive time. I am incredibly proud of this organization and all those who work here every day, but today I’m bursting with pride.”

Accreditation Canada surveyors highlighted St. Joseph’s workplace culture as a “great strength” stating, “the warmth and the friendliness are palpable.” They also made special note of our commitment to people-centred care, affirming that partnerships with patients, residents and families are deeply embedded in the philosophy of our organization. “We heard from patients, families and care partners that their voices are heard, and they are respected,” said the surveyors.

Another standout for Accreditation Canada is St. Joseph’s focus on social determinants of health with one surveyor commenting: “You truly are an anchor organization…you have gone out, beyond your boundaries and are helping others, as well as your whole community, in terms of population health.”   

Surveyors also praised St. Joseph’s commitment to patient safety, advancing excellence in care, and a culture of transparency and learning that is prevalent throughout the organization.  

This survey has once again highlighted our continued dedication to excellence, our collective devotion to patient and resident care, and our commitment to earning complete confidence in the care we provide. 

What is accreditation?

Accreditation is a quality improvement process that helps our organization identify what we’re doing well and where we need to focus our improvement efforts. The process allows us to assess a broad range of services and understand how to make better use of resources, increase efficiency, enhance quality and safety, and reduce risk. It also helps St. Joseph’s define and measure the quality of our care against national standards of excellence.  

During accreditation week, a small team of surveyors from Accreditation Canada, who are experienced health care professionals, as well as a patient partner surveyor, visit our main sites to evaluate our day-to-day processes. The surveyors assess our organization against national standards, observe how staff, physicians, students and volunteers interact with patients and visitors and offer feedback on best practices. They evaluate standards like risk management, infection prevention, patient safety, medication management and organizational governance, as well as assessing clinical standards.

Accreditation involves all members of the St. Joseph’s family, across all sites and locations; from our board of directors and volunteers- to direct-care and support staff, as well as members of the community including partner organizations, patients, residents, care partners and families. Exceptional care involves all of us.

It is important to remember that accreditation is an ongoing journey- a continuous process; there is always room for improvement. St. Joseph’s aims to be accreditation ready every day.

What does ‘being accredited’ mean?

When patients, residents and their families see the Accreditation Canada seal, they know we are working hard to meet the standards in the delivery of safe, high-quality care.  
 
St. Joseph’s Health Care London has been awarded ‘Accredited with Exemplary Standing’ by Accreditation Canada for all four of our accreditation surveys in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023. This is the highest-level standing organizations can achieve in the accreditation process.

About Accreditation Canada

Accreditation Canada is a not-for-profit, independent, Canadian organization which provides health care organizations with an external peer review to assess their services based on standards of excellence. These standards examine all aspects of health care. Accreditation surveyors spend close to a week onsite, observing care processes, interviewing patients, families, staff, physicians, and community partners and examining documentation and performance data. 

Visit Accreditation Canada’s website for more information.