Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre Awarded Two "Leading Practice" Designations by Accreditation Canada

Innovative approaches to patient-centered care receive national recognition

MONTREAL, April 26, 2016 /CNW/ - Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) is proud to be awarded designations for Leading Practice in two programs by Accreditation Canada today during its annual Quality Conference. The first award recognizes an approach to client-centered care called "Changing the Conversation" that has resulted in a positive impact on the experience of clients who receive home care. The second award goes to the ICCT (Integrated Community Care Team), shared with Baycrest, Central CCAC and other partners.

"It's an honour to have been recognized by Accreditation Canada for 'Changing the Conversation" says Dr. Anne Wojtak, Chief Performance Officer. "By working with our 22 service provider partners and our clients, we learned that even the smallest changes in how we communicate with clients can have a big impact on how they experience their care."

The model was recognized as National Leading Practice by Accreditation Canada in the categories of "Quality Improvement" and "Service Delivery". Changing the Conversation encourages front-line care providers to ask clients and caregivers about what is most important to them and then to design and deliver their care accordingly. This evidence-based approach to patient experience was designed jointly by the CCAC and its contracted service providers. It has resulted in measurable improvement in client experience survey results and is now spreading across Ontario and Canada. For a full overview of the award, visit the Accreditation Canada site here:
http://accreditation.ca/changing-conversation

Jodeme Goldhar, Chief Strategy Officer at TC CCAC says, "We're proud that ICCT has also been recognized by Accreditation Canada. The ICCT partners have succeeded in bringing together a system that is traditionally fragmented, so that complex clients and their families experience one team, focused on what's most important to them."

ICCT (Integrated Community Care Team) is a collaboration between Toronto Central CCAC, Central CCAC, Baycrest and North York General Hospital (NYGH). ICCT includes a nurse practitioner, nurses, care of the elderly-trained family physicians, geriatricians, community care coordinators, social worker, clinical pharmacist, occupational therapist and physiotherapist. A link to acute care (NYGH) and Baycrest inpatient and outpatient specialty services ensures the patient journey is integrated across the care continuum. The ICCT model is innovative because it integrates specialized geriatrics, tailors its services to the needs of "solo" primary care physicians, and involves two separate LHINs (Toronto Central and Central). For an overview of this award, visit the Accreditation Canada site:  http://accreditation.ca/node/7945

ICCT grows out of TC CCAC's pioneering work with its partners focused on integrated teams serving older adults, children with complex care needs and palliative care clients. "This work forms the basis of TC CCAC's shift to its One Client, One Team^TM model," says Goldhar. "The model builds connections with partners to create strong systems of care to benefit our clients, in alignment with the priorities of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. In ICCT, we came together with our partners, established a shared sense of purpose and worked together to bring this to life at the point of care. You can't do this without committed partners who are willing to change."

"The recognition of these two innovative practices by such a distinguished organization is truly an honour," says Wojtak. "We thank our partners and look forward to providing effective and compassionate care for all of our clients by finding innovative ways to partner with organizations who share our commitment."

About the Toronto Central CCAC
The Toronto Central CCAC connects people across Toronto with quality in-home, clinic and community-based health care. The organization provides information, direct access to qualified care providers and community-based services to help people come home from hospital or live independently at home. Last year, 74,000 residents of Toronto were supported through the Toronto Central CCAC. Driven to provide the best possible outcomes for these clients, the organization is recognized provincially, nationally and internationally as a leader and innovator in the field of homecare.

SOURCE Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre

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