Dear Providence family,
I am delighted to let you all know that following Accreditation Canada’s visit last month, we have been granted the designation of “Accredited with Exemplary Standing”.
This is the highest standing possible and I am immensely grateful to each and every one of you for helping us achieve it.
Although it is our third consecutive accreditation cycle being awarded this designation, circumstances in health care are very different since our last visit from Accreditation Canada in 2017. In addition to the ongoing toxic drug crisis, we have been living and working in a pandemic for nearly three years, and experienced several climate-related emergencies. So it is especially meaningful to have such positive feedback from Accreditation Canada at this time.
This year, Providence met all of the Required Organizational Practices (ROPs) and 99.6% of the over 3,000 standards across our leadership, governance and clinical programs. Within the eight Quality dimensions of the survey, Providence particularly excelled in continuity – coordinating care across the continuum; efficiency – making the best use of resources; and population focus – working with the community to anticipate and meet needs.
The accreditation report (link below) makes numerous extremely positive references to specific programs, services and clinics – using words such as “exemplary”, “highly collaborative, focused, and driven to provide optimal and timely care”, “amazing” and “at the top of leading practices in Canada.”
It was particularly pleasing to hear feedback from community and patient partners interviewed by Accreditation Canada who had “high praise for how PHC demonstrates fidelity to its mission and values and worked collaboratively in an environment of complex and potentially overlapping jurisdictions.”
And I was so happy to read that, “staff and the medical staff spoke highly of the organization when interviewed during the survey. They appreciate their teammates, and many shared their personal sense of mission and how they find satisfaction working at PHC.”
The report also acknowledges our Mission: Forward seven-year strategic plan, which was commended for the recent addition of a new foundational pillar identifying reconciliation and the hearing of truth, pursuing justice, and building relationships with sovereign host nations of Indigenous peoples. Surveyors noted that our organization “has a solid understanding of its unique history and traditions of caring that inspire current programs and employees and sets a clear future direction.”
Finally, Providence’s pandemic response also received special mention, noting that “PHC was regarded as a leader in the provincial health system’s response and consistently displayed innovation and resilience.”
Of course we are not perfect! We are committed to continual quality improvement and the report highlighted a number of areas for further growth, including working with our aging infrastructure and improving our recruitment and retention strategies. We’re grateful for this feedback and remain humble in the knowledge of all that we as an organization could do better.
Once again, I’d like to thank all of you for your participation in this accreditation process, and for the dedication that you bring to work every day. This achievement is a collective one that belongs to you, the people of Providence.
I am sure there are days when we all feel that we are not providing the care that we would really like. I would encourage you all to take a few moments and read the report, especially those parts which relate specifically to your service, and remind yourself of all that your team does exceptionally well for the patients and residents who we serve.
Sincerely,
Fiona
