News

Leading the way

Accreditation Canada says Region programs among Canada's best

Leading practice program profiles Praise for Winnipeg Health Region clinical programs

Winnipeg Health Region
Wave, March / April 2010

Four Winnipeg Health Region programs have been cited for being among the best in Canada by the organization responsible for reviewing health-care practices.

Accreditation Canada issued leading practice designations to the clinical programs after a week-long visit to 26 different sites within the Region earlier this year.

"Leading practices are commendable or exemplary organizational practices that demonstrate high quality leadership and service delivery," the report says

Kaaren Neufeld, Chief Quality Officer for the Winnipeg Health Region, says the agency's findings are extremely gratifying. "The Winnipeg Health Region is developing a national reputation for providing the very best in care," says Neufeld.

"This designation from Accreditation Canada is a testament to the women and men in these programs who are working hard to provide the best possible care to our patients."

It's the first time the Region has received four leading practice designations in one year. "The most we have ever received before is three, so we're very happy with the four," says Neufeld.

Language Access Interpreter Services (Primary Care Program)

Community Stroke Care Service (Home Care Program)

Sleep Disorder Online Treatment (Psychology Program)

Surgical Patient Flow Project (Child Health - Surgical Services)

Neufeld says the accreditation process plays an important role in helping the Region improve standards of care across Canada. "We are always looking for better ways to deliver care," Neufeld says.

"Accreditation Canada helps by setting national standards that we can use to measure our progress."

Accreditation Canada has been reviewing clinical programs across the country for years, but this is only the second time surveyors have used the new Qmentum Program to assess services and processes in the Winnipeg Health Region. The new program uses a broad approach to accreditation that includes performance, as well as feedback from staff and patients.

Learn more about Accreditation Canada

	About Wave Wave is published six times a year by the Winnipeg Health Region in cooperation with the Winnipeg Free Press. It is available at newsstands, hospitals and clinics throughout Winnipeg, as well as McNally Robinson Books. Read the March / April 2010 issue of Wave