Northumberland Hills Hospital Laboratory receives 99 percent score on recent Accreditation Canada Diagnostics assessment
The Laboratory at Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) met 99 per cent of the required standards set out in a recent Accreditation Canada Diagnostics (ACDx) assessment, improving even further on the 92 per cent achievement earned by the Lab in its last assessment in 2020.
The success of NHH’s ACDx assessment is a welcomed result that complements the hospital’s own Accreditation with Exemplary Standing recognition, which was awarded during an organization-wide accreditation in 2022.
Mandated by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and operated by Accreditation Canada, the ACDx assessment is required for all licensed medical laboratories in Ontario. It is also a condition of maintaining the hospital’s laboratory license through the Ministry of Health.
Conducted on a 4-year cycle, the accreditation process is a 3-day assessment, in which assessors attend the laboratory to go through applicable requirements.
A formal report is then issued to the recipient facility following the accreditation assessment visit, and an action plan to address any non-conformances must be formulated within 90 days. Once the action plan has been returned to ACDx, a panel determines if the laboratory meets the criteria for an accreditation certificate.
NHH’s Laboratory was assessed against 423 requirements, with several hundred sub-requirements per discipline, including quality, management, and health and safety requirements.
“Accreditation is a rigorous process that ensures we are held to the same standards as every other laboratory in Canada,” said Dr. Katie O’Reilly, Medical Director, Laboratory Services. “Every assessment that is measured during accreditation allows our team to review current processes, while making sure that we not only meet, but exceed the high-quality of patient care and standards set by our Laboratory Department. This exceptional result is a testament to the commitment and dedication of our Lab team.”
“We are incredibly proud of our NHH Lab team for obtaining a remarkable result on their recent ACDx assessment,” said Susan Walsh, President and CEO. “Our Lab committed themselves to learning from our 2020 accreditation results and found ways to improve—and in doing so—achieve a near-perfect score during this most recent assessment. The intensive preparation process leading up to accreditation helped our team embrace a culture of continuous quality improvement and an internal audit system that has set the department up for future success.”
NHH’s Laboratory consists of several disciplines, including Transfusion Medicine, Haematology, Chemistry, and Point-of-Care, each of which has of their own set of requirements.
The NHH Lab employs 15 medical laboratory technologists, 15 medical laboratory technicians, 1 charge medical laboratory technologist, 1 transfusion safety officer, 1 laboratory medical director, 1 transfusion medicine physician, and 2 laboratory clerical staff, including 1 manager and 1 program director.
Operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the Lab performs a wide range of tests for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment.