QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
At the North Shore Health Network (NSHN), our mission is to provide effective, compassionate healthcare. Across our 3 sites in Blind River, Thessalon and Richards Landing, we function as one team providing equitable, high quality, integrated, rural health and wellness services for everyone.
We are made up of a multi-faceted team including registered staff, physicians, nurse practitioners, social work, physiotherapy, dietitian, personal support workers, housekeeping staff, food services workers, volunteers, essential caregivers and students.
We pride ourselves on maintaining a high level of quality care which is driven by our core values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Equity, and Sustainability (NSHN C.A.R.E.S.). As an organization, we strive to maintain a safe and comfortable home-like environment for our patients, residents, and clients which provides a sense of privacy, dignity and security.
Why do we measure “quality” in health care?
Measuring quality indicators helps us to ensure consistency of care, aids in as decision-making and planning, and assists us in monitoring and targeting areas of improvement for the care and services we deliver.
At NSHN, we recognize that the safety and comfort of our patients can’t always be quantified or measured. However, by examining quality indicators we get a “bird’s eye view” of what is happening in our hospital and leverage this data to examine specific processes, programming and services more closely. Resources and staff can be allocated to areas that maximize patient care and have the biggest impact on our patients, residents and clients.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to access our current (2024-25 Quality Improvement Plan (QIP), as well as past QIPs.
IMPORTANT LEGISLATION
Excellent Care for All Act (2010)
The Excellent Care for All Act, 2010 (ECFAA) puts patients first by improving the quality and value of the patient experience through the application of evidence-based health care. It will improve health care while ensuring that the system we rely on today is there for future generations.
The hospital sector will implement these legislative changes first, and results from hospitals will be assessed before extending the requirements to other health sectors.
The legislation includes requirements for:
Quality committees, which will report to health care organizations on quality-related issues
Annual quality improvement plans, which each health care organization will be required to develop and make public
Executive compensation which will be required to be linked to achieving improvement targets set out in the annual quality improvement plan
Patient/client/caregiver surveys to assess satisfaction with services
Staff surveys to assess satisfaction with employment experience and views about the quality of care provided by the health care organization
Declarations of values that will be developed after public consultation by health care organizations that are currently without one.
Patient relations process to address patient experience issues and reflect its declaration of values
The legislation also expands the mandate of the Ontario Health Quality Council to recommend evidence-based delivery of health care based on clinical practice guidelines. The council will also make recommendations on possible changes to the way health care is covered and paid for to ensure that it is consistent with the evidence.
Broader Public Sector Accountability Act (2010)
The Broader Public Sector Accountability Act, 2010 (BPSAA) was introduced on October 20, 2010 and received Royal Assent on December 8, 2010. The BPSAA establishes new rules and higher accountability standards for hospitals, Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and broader public sector organizations:
Bans the practice of hiring lobbyists using public funds
Increases accountability for hospitals and LHINs
Establishes new procurement and expense rules for certain large BPS organizations
Adds accountability measures related to compliance and expenses rules
Brings hospitals under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)
Attestation Reports:
HEALTH QUALITY ONTARIO
Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) Program
The Excellent Care for All Act, 2010 (ECFAA) and other accountability agreements require all public hospitals, inter-disciplinary primary health care organizations, Home and Community Care organizations, and long-term care homes to create a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) every year.
Each organization is required to develop a plan that includes specific targets and actions that reflect Ontario’s health care improvement priorities and the quality issues that are locally relevant. QIP’s must be in place, publicly posted and submitted to Health Quality Ontario (HQO) each year. HQO is the provincial advisor on quality in health care.
QIP development must be informed by the following:
mandatory and priority indicators established by the HQO,
needs of patients, clients, and residents,
insight gleaned through the patient relations process,
patient experience surveys and critical incidences,
results and initiatives pertaining to employee and physician engagement,
commitments outlined in Strategic Plans and Hospital Accountability Agreements and Ministry of Health priorities and Accreditation Canada standards and processes.
