Wind in Our Sails: Collaborative Accreditation of Huron Perth & Area Ontario Health Team First in Canada

Background: The Huron Perth Area Ontario Health Team (HPA-OHT) has pioneered collaboration and integration in healthcare accreditation, revolutionizing the traditional model through our Collaborative Accreditation initiative. This initiative represents a strategic, innovative shift to enhance healthcare quality and efficiency. The initiative was born from transcending the traditional, fragmented accreditation processes. By adopting a collaborative approach, we succeeded in the first in Canada multi-governed collaborative accreditation. This aimed to unify healthcare standards across various sectors within our organization, ensuring comprehensive, high-quality care. This initiative addresses critical organizational challenges and aligns with our mission to transform healthcare delivery, placing patient needs and values at the forefront. In April 2024 the HPA-OHT Accreditation Collaborative was awarded Accredited with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada. Approach: In 2022, ten organizations from six healthcare sectors began meeting with the aim of completing a collaborative accreditation process. This would lead to harmonization of the work on the standards, promote a culture of best practices, and enhance overall care quality and satisfaction.This initiative is vital to our broader organizational transformation. It aligns with our vision and mission, representing a strategic step towards integrated healthcare.The collaborative began with establishing detailed Terms of Reference for sub-committees, providing clear, written guidelines for their functions and decision-making processes. A template for harmonized policy development was created. There were twenty policies covering governance, infection prevention control, medication management, health safety, risk management, incident management and workplace safety. Adoption of an equity framework, equity/inclusion/diversity anti-racism plan, governance evaluation, inclusive language and just culture document developed and adopted by all organizations.The accreditation lead monitored and tracked the effectiveness of the implementation process. This ensured adherence to the established standards and allowed for timely adjustments. Results: The impact of the changes was assessed through a comparative analysis of the healthcare delivery quality before and after the implementation of the collaborative accreditation.Progress was closely monitored through regular steering committee meetings, focusing on specific standards, and incorporating specialists' input.Based on the ongoing assessments, necessary adjustments were made to the planned processes, ensuring alignment with the evolving needs and standards.Twenty shared policies and adoption of an equity framework, equity/inclusion/diversity anti-racism plan, governance evaluation, inclusive language and just culture document developed and adopted by all organizations. Site visits by specialists in Infection prevention Control, medication management and emergency management. Accreditation Canada onsite visit by surveyors and the evidence shown of achievement of the accreditation standards.The Collaborative Accreditation initiative by HPA-OHT was implemented with meticulous planning, continuous monitoring, and a flexible approach to adapt to emerging challenges. This structured yet adaptable methodology ensured the initiative effectiveness and alignment with our goal of improving quality together and being accredited with exemplary standing. Both of these goals were achieved and will continue to be a focus of our OHT. Implications: Our initiative has significantly contributed to the body of knowledge in healthcare accreditation. By adopting a collaborative approach, we developed a model that can be replicated across various healthcare settings, enhancing the overall quality and safety of healthcare services.We ensured consistent understanding and application of standards across healthcare settings by developing tailored policies and conducting on site visits, which enabled a more profound understanding of the standards.The results and methodologies of our initiative have been actively communicated to all member organizations within HPA-OHT. We are sharing the policies, documents and plans created on the HPA-OHT website for organizations to access.The initiative impact extends beyond individual organizations, enhancing our community healthcare quality and system. Its a testament to the power of collaborative, multisectoral work in achieving system-wide improvements.