Quality and Safety

At Hamilton Health Sciences, quality improvement is more than a plan on paper – it’s engrained in the way we work. At every level and in each corner of our organization, our staff and physicians are engaged in activities aimed at improving the way we provide care and how we manage our operations. Measuring our performance against provincial and national benchmarks is an important part of this continuous quality improvement journey. In this section, you’ll find information about our quality improvement plan, patient safety indicator performance, wait time reports, and our participation in the Accreditation cycle.

Quality Improvement Plan

The Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) is an organization-owned document that establishes a plan for quality improvement over the coming year. The QIP is designed to be a lever for change on system-wide priority quality issues as well as key issues that are important for our patients, including patient safety and timely access to care.

The QIP is a requirement of the Excellent Care for All Act (2010) and outlines the indicators selected for improvement, the performance targets, the change plans that define how those targets will be achieved, and our progress toward each. It helps the provincial government put Ontario’s patients first by strengthening the health care sector’s organizational focus and accountability to deliver high-quality patient care. See the links below to read more about our QIP at HHS.

Quality Improvement Plan Narrative (2023-2024)

Quality Improvement Plan Indicators & Initiatives (2023-2024)

Patient Safety Indicators

We routinely monitor, track and report our progress for several patient safety indicators (e.g., hospital-acquired infection rates). Click the link to view the latest reports on a variety of patient safety indicators.

Wait Time Reports

Wait time information for some hospital tests and procedures are available on the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s website, and is searchable by hospital, city or postal code.

Accreditation

Hamilton Health Sciences is Accredited with Exemplary Standing, the highest ranking by Accreditation Canada. The national Accreditation process, which we participate in on a regular basis, ensures that we’re providing the safest and highest level of quality care and service possible. Learn more on the Accreditation Canada website.