DUNNVILLE — Haldimand War Memorial Hospital and Edgewater Gardens both have reason to celebrate after being granted the highest accreditation rank, ‘Accredited with Exemplary Standing,’ following a recent on-site survey by Accreditation Canada (AC).
A global, not-for-profit organization, AC’s stated purpose is to provide organizations with a “vision for safer care and a healthier world.”
The on-site survey was completed between March 23 to 27, 2025. Both organizations were previously accredited last in 2021.
President and CEO of both facilities Sharon Moore shared some details on the process and result.
“We were assessed on a total of 1,299 standards and on several required organization practices (ROPs),” said Moore. “We achieved 100% in many of the areas that were assessed.”
Areas that received 100% include Infection Prevention and Control, Service Excellence, Diagnostic Imaging Services, Inpatient Services, Long-Term Care Services, Perioperative Services and Invasive Procedures, Point-of-Care Testing, Reprocessing of Reusable Medical Devices, and Transfusion Services.
“We review the report and our notes from the survey very carefully. As there is always room for improvement, we see this as an opportunity to make changes that have been highlighted in the report,” said Moore. “AC surveyors are very knowledgeable about the standards and best practices for our type of organizations. They bring an outside viewpoint that is crucial in helping us identify areas of improvement. The feedback helps us focus on these particular areas.”
Some areas of improvement identified by the report include:
Unpredictable staffing changes impacting the ability to advance priority projects
Planning for an electronic medical record solution
A need to develop a systemic and Indigenous-specific anti-racism framework
“When the surveyors were on site, we heard very positive feedback about the staff, physicians, and volunteers that work here,” said Moore.
The report praised the teams at both facilities, calling them “very passionate about their roles and proud of the work they do in providing high quality patient care and services.”
It also praised staff in leadership roles as a “highly collaborative and dedicated team with diverse individual portfolios. They are well respected by frontline team members and community partners.”
It also commended staff in leadership roles for continuing to advocate for the promised expansion to Edgewater Gardens, first announced in March 2021 thanks to a provincial grant that promised to double the existing beds from 64 to 128. That expansion was officially put on hold last October due to a shortfall in needed government funding.
At the time, an Edgewater Gardens release promised to continue exploring options to make the expansion a reality.
Speaking to her team’s high marks, Moore said, “The surveyors not only witnessed, but felt, the level of passion in our team members. For me this is our secret sauce. While we all want to achieve the standards, it is very reassuring to hear from these external experts that we do so with great care and passion.”
She added, “The on-site survey and the report confirms that we are achieving the very high standards that we expect of ourselves and that we know the community deserves. We take our responsibility to provide care to patients and residents very seriously and we commit to always making improvements to meet or exceed these high standards.”
