What is the accreditation process?

Accreditation is an assurance that the care and services we provide comply with quality and safety standards established by an independent accrediting body.

The CISSS Outaouais has started its first accreditation cycle as an integrated centre. Specially trained workers will visit our organization in order to assess our compliance with a set of standards and excellence criteria. Given the size and number of facilities to assess, we will be assessed in two stages during the course of a four-year accreditation cycle. The first on-site survey of the CISSS Outaouais will take place in February 2017 and the second in 2019.

Why are we embarking on this process?

We are legally obligated to obtain accreditation from a recognized body under the Act Respecting Health Services and Social Services. The accreditation process, conducted by Accreditation Canada, chiefly focuses on the quality and safety of the care and services we provide to users, both key concerns of the CISSS Outaouais. This process demonstrates our commitment to continuously improving our practices and provides objective confirmation of our compliance with the highest quality standards.

Accreditation Canada is

• An independent, not-for-profit organization
• A process of ongoing assessment against standards of excellence
• Eight dimensions of quality
• Standards in a number of sectors
• Assessment of 35 required organizational practices, directly related to user safety, before accreditation is awarded