News Archive > February 11th, 2004: KDH rates excellent in all categories, report notes 'high level of satisfaction'
Kemptville District Hospital
2675 Concession Road, Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0
Tel: (613) 258-6133; Fax: (613) 258-7853
February 11, 2004
KDH rates excellent in all categories, report notes 'high level of satisfaction'
Kemptville District Hospital is among the highest ranked hospitals in the country. This was the result of a year-long process, called accreditation, that concluded in November of last year.
KDH this week received the final report which indicated it passed with only three minor recommendations. Almost all hospitals in Canada go through these tough inspections every three years.
Noting that this is the highest level of accreditation possible, hospital Executive Director Lynne Budgell stated she is "thrilled" with the results. "It was a team effort of the volunteers, staff, physicians and board," said Ms. Budgell. "It's a good process because everyone works together and can really take pride in the achievement."
New standards of measurement for the accreditation process were recently introduced. The AIM (Achieving Improved Measurement) standards are designed to ensure that the various parts of the system that measure quality are more consistent and accurate than before.
"This was the first year we were judged according to much tougher standards," said hospital board chair Ken Mews. "The board is delighted that the survey revealed that the support of the community for the services the hospital provides is extremely strong."
Noting that under the new measurements standards used by surveyors, 49 per cent of all hospitals surveyed in the past year were given serious recommendations for improvement ("Accreditation with Report"), Ms. Budgell stated this year's result "assures the board and the community that we meet or exceed national standards in terms of patient care, management and governance."
Kemptville District Hospital received good to very good ratings in all of 22 categories, with ratings coming in between 4.80 and 5.50 out of seven. "These are very strong ratings and further highlight the consistent approach to quality that the hospital has taken in aspects of service delivery," the accreditation report stated. "This is a truly notable achievement."
"Kemptville District Hospital is a valuable resource to our community of North Grenville," said Don Tallman, chair of the Governance Committee of the hospital board. "When you understand the process of accreditation, to see this achievement by the entire hospital is a compliment to everyone involved."
A focus group of hospital clients had only positive comments to make about the care and the services provided at KDH.
Client group members "all felt that KDH is excellent at listening to the voices of citizens in the community it serves," the report also noted. "Focus group attendees all felt that KDH was a very friendly hospital and that it consistently demonstrated a high respect for the clients it serves."
Survey interviews with this group indicated "an overwhelming appreciation for the excellent work done in the emergency department," the report stated.
Satisfaction with waiting times to receive services, accessibility of services, and attention to access for people with physical handicaps were also noted. "Clients expressed a high level of satisfaction with the care that they receive at the hospital and also expressed their collective opinion that this was the consensus in the community."
A total of three recommendations were made in the report, none of which were judged to be high priority. Two of the teams involved in the survey were given the recommendation to continue with plans to develop a pain and symptom management program, including plans for consistent measurement and documentation of pain. A third recommendation concerned information management and the need for the hospital's computer systems to be integrated.
Every three years, as part of the accreditation process, most health services organizations in Canada take part in a self-assessment, followed by a survey visit. The survey itself, which took place Nov. 24 and 25 in Kemptville, includes a review of documentation, interviews with special teams, tours of the facility and focus group meetings with stakeholders. This process allows the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation and the individual hospital to evaluate the quality of the organization's services by comparing them to nationally accepted standards.