Thursday 11 August
Four days to go! Our accreditation assessment takes place next week with assessors visiting our hospitals and sites from Monday 15 August to Friday 19 August.
A big thank you to each of you for the work you have done to get us here. We know that accreditation is an opportunity for us to showcase the work we do for our patients, consumers, and each other every day, and a great deal of preparation and planning has happened so we can shine.
There have been several delays and deferrals to our assessment over the past couple of years, but work has continued to ensure we remain accreditation-ready at all times.
In these last few days before Accreditation, the message is clear: we are ready and well placed to welcome the assessors on Monday.
In this week’s Bulletin, we take you through the schedule for accreditation week, share some final tips and reminders about your areas, and let you know how we’re keeping our patients informed of our accreditation activities.
Focus points
Here are some final reminders of the top things you can do in preparation for Accreditation next week:
- Review the Accreditation week schedule and check when the assessors are visiting your site or area.
- Conduct a final walk around and check of your areas to make sure they are clean, tidy, and free of clutter.
- Catch up on all the latest Accreditation updates, news, and resources on our Accreditation website.
Key messages
Accreditation week schedule
The Accreditation week schedule is now available and ready to download from the Accreditation website.
The schedule outlines when you can expect to see the assessors at your site, ward, or area across the week (Mon 15 – Fri 19). Please keep in mind that the schedule could change and that assessors may visit areas not included in the schedule.
The assessors
Welcome the assessors to your areas, show them around and invite them into your huddles and meetings. Assessors will be easily identified when they visit your area as they will be wearing identification badges. Assessors have access to our sites, wards, and areas during the week.
Our patients come first
As always, the care, safety, and needs of our patients come first. The assessors are not there to interfere or get in the way of that. In fact, with clinical backgrounds, our assessors understand the importance of delivering safe, effective, and patient-centred care every time.
If you are concerned about patients that are not appropriate for assessors to visit, please discuss this with the assessors, they will understand. You do not need to change your work processes for the assessors. If you need to attend to an urgent patient matter while speaking with an assessor, please do so.
Remaining flexible
Adapting and remaining flexible has become almost second nature to us over the past 2-3 years, and we will do the same for accreditation week. Continue to work as you usually would while welcoming and being prepared to talk with the assessors.
Cleaning and decluttering your areas
Over the next couple of days, do a final walk in your area and ensure your work and communal areas are clean, tidy, and free of clutter and obstacles. Managers and DCOs, check the following:
- Hand hygiene stations are full.
- Make sure all posters in patient areas and wards are laminated and current.
- Ensure your Welcome to Ward and Quality Boards are up to date.
- Clinical items are all stored appropriately.
Top tip for Managers and DCOs: Swap areas and complete a walk-around of each other’s area. A fresh set of eyes might just help to identify anything that needs addressing.
Patient information during Accreditation week
To help keep our patients and visitors informed about our accreditation assessment, information flyers will be distributed to patients on their breakfast meal trays.
These flyers will also be available at main and ED receptions for our consumers, carers, and visitors, to support their understanding of our accreditation assessment and the presence of assessors across our hospitals and sites.
Assessors may approach our patients and ask about their experience at Monash Health. Speaking with the assessors is voluntary for our patients, and any information they do share will be treated confidentially and help us improve our services.
Review accreditation updates
Visit our Accreditation website to take another look at Accreditation news, preparation resources, and National Standards information that you may have missed or would like to revisit again. You can also directly access some of the resources below:
All managers are requested to share these updates with their teams and discuss them at meetings and handovers. Please print a copy and display it in communication books and on employee noticeboards. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.
For Accreditation information and resources, please visit the Monash Health employee Accreditation website.