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»p>Jp J > > »> p The next step was to involve staff at all levâ€" els to review the standards as determined by the CCHFA and identify areas for improveâ€" ment. The goal of each team was to enhance quality in all aspects of the services we proâ€" vide. In the spring, OTMH participated in a threeâ€"day Accreditation survey. Throughout this process, the surveyors from the CCHFA commented that they liked the teamwork approach demonâ€" strated by everyone at OTMH towards the new clientâ€"oriented standards. While teams were meeting to discuss these standards, staff, visitors, and patients could follow their progress by reviewing storyboards which were on display throughout the hospital. for excellence. â€" Each person, as an individual, is treated with dignity, equality, and respect. â€" Patients or their advocates have the right to be informed and to participate in their health care decisions. Total Quality Management system _ has been implemented at OTMH l Wt as a result of the hospital‘s strateâ€" g|c plan and to meet the new standards set out by the Canadian Council on Health Facilities Accreditation (CCHFA). The success of these new standards and the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the hospital led to OTMH taking a leadership role in a Canadaâ€"wide Pilot program. We began getting ready for Accreditation last year. In preparation for this, Mary Ellen Nicholsonâ€"Vidette, Coâ€"ordinator of Quality Improvement at OTMH, researched TQM practices and immersed senior management and staff with Accreditation standards materials. â€" Effective, constructive communication is encouraged within the hospital and between the hospital and the community. â€" Teamwork is built upon cooperation, trust, praise, and respect. â€" Continuing education for hospital personâ€" nel is essential and must be actively encourâ€" aged. â€" Health care education is available to patients and their families. â€" Health promotion is provided to patients, staff, and community. â€" Personal and medical information must be kept confidential. â€" A safe, healthy, and friendly environment is provided for all. Serving the community with excellence OTMH strives for Total Quality akvilleâ€"Trafalgar Memorial Hospital exists to serve the community with dediâ€" cated and caring personnel who strive Mary Ellen was responsible for spearheadâ€" ing this project, "TQM will help us improve what we‘re already doing, to ensure that we are consistent throughout the hospital, and to provide the framework for all of us to follow." The visions that teams identified have been well documented and these will soon be impleâ€" mented to help each team meet their stanâ€" dards. The Total Quality Management program is a process to involve OTMH staff, physicians, and administration in a selfâ€"examination of how we carry out our jobs and the manner in which we serve our patients. STRATEGIC PLAN The Hospital‘s Strategic Plan is a continuous and ongoing process which helps the organizaâ€" tion to proactively shape its future. By assessing the internal and external forces impacting the Hospital, a future direction is established by the Board of Governors which is pursued through implementation of specific goals and strategies. The Hospital‘s Strategic Plan presently conâ€" sists of the following: (1)Redevelopment and Expansion Program (2)Shortâ€"and Longâ€"Term Hospital Priorities (3)Computerization/Optical Disk Services in Halton (5)Health Promotion (6)Longâ€"Term Care (7)OTMH Charitable Corporation Storage/Laparoscopic LDRP (4) Regionalization/Rationalization of OTMH philosophy Everyone at OTMH is working together under the Total Quality Management program. We know that financial constraints can create an unfavourable climate to quality. Therefore, thgâ€"use of quality control and quality manageâ€" ment at @TMH becomes even more essential for the maintenance of good quality health serâ€" vices. At OTMH, the process has just begun â€" and what a positive start. "Total Quality Management is a methodoloâ€" gy to be used to improve the health care pracâ€" tice and operations of OTMH by addressing the needs and expectations of our patients and their families." HOSPITAL SERVICES Oakvilleâ€"Trafalgar Memorial Hospital is an acute community general hospital providing priâ€" mary care facilities with emphasis on family medicine. The major medical departments and Hospital services are: Q Anaesthesia Q Clinical Laboratories Q Diagnostic Imaging Q Emergency Q Family Medicine Q Geriatrics and Rehabilitation Q Medicine Q Obstetrics and Gynaecology Q Ophthalmology Q Paediatrics Q Psychiatry Q Surgery Examples of specific services excluded are the following: Q Open Heart Surgery Q Neurosurgery Q Radiotherapy/Oncology O Any other medical procedure that is deterâ€" mined, from time to time, to be more advantageousâ€" ly provided to the patient by a tertiary hospital.