Accreditation represents a high value, marketing tool. It is expected that when accreditation is obtained, it will strengthen the public’s confidence in the services of the facility. This, however, is only one of the benefits of obtaining accreditation. A key value of accreditation is the process itself so it is important to get the right people to do the job.

It is well to remember that applying for and being ready to be assessed for by an international accreditation company doesn’t happen overnight, even if it is the most up to date and advanced organisation, processes normally take a minimum of 18 months to 2 years for full compliance before being awarded

The advantage of hiring a consultant company like Polyclinic Hospiplan, to help with this process is that time is of the essence and our company brings a history of success in planning, preparing and achieving accreditation for both private and government hospitals helping them to achieve International Accreditation.

The knowledge and know how a consultant company like ours enables the organisation applying for the accreditation to hit the floor running. They can quickly assess the present status of the organisation, their documentation, practices and procedures and produce a formal report of the status of the organisation and make recommendations that are required to bring that organisation up to the standard required by the accreditation body.

Consultant firms such  bring proprietary policies that have been adapted and implemented successfully, regionally, and are able to meet the most stringent International Hospital Accreditation Standards.

Preparing for accreditation is a process that requires full process management of teams and coordination between departments, and several dry run testings conducted prior to the actual survey itself, this is where a consultant company brings value.

A consultant team works closely with all members of the organisation to implement agreed upon recommendations. They write plans and train staff on how to bring the standards up if required, but more importantly they train the staff to think differently about the accreditation process.

Processes, Policies and Procedures are more than often the easiest thing to fix in an organisation. It is the mindset of the employees that is often the most difficult to alter from the top executive to the lowest paid worker everyone must be in unison with their dedication and agreement in the accreditation process.

In many instances it is the attitude of the employee that fails to gain an organisation an accreditation standard no matter how compliant their processes are. A consultant firm also helps the firm or organisation to remain compliant with the accreditation body as they are kept fully abreast and up to date with all the new accreditation plans and practices.

When to begin Accreditation?

We at Polyclinic Hospiplan would recommend that a consultant be hired ideally when a new building and service is being planned right from the start as the design of healthcare facilities have to comply with standards in order to pass a section of the accreditation process, so, by fulfilling the basic requirements that are often overlooked gives the hospital organisation a head start.

However, when this is not the case a consultant should be hired when an organisation itself decides and believes in the value of having an international accreditation standard and all the employees are in agreement and committed to work towards this achievement. Every employee should be convinced that having accreditation will improve their service, standards and regulate practices to promote their organisation as the best.