Abstract

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital developed an innovative framework that fully integrates 17 family and youth leaders into its accreditation preparation process to drive its quality and safety improvements. The hospital established a formalized committee, the Family Leader Accreditation Group (FLAG), where staff and family leaders (FLs), partnered equally to meet, update and share quality and safety initiatives as part of the accreditation preparedness process. The Quality, Safety and Performance (QSP) team was driven to partner more deeply with clients and families to advance quality and safety.

In addition to the FLAG group, the QSP team partnered with the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, master facilitators and FLs to update and contribute to existing learning modules in the Patient Safety Education Program. This partnership was anchored in the belief that providing knowledge and skills would ensure that families had an equal voice in patient safety.

This innovative partnership is building capacity among clients and families and provides a foundation for other organizations to model in their approach to improve, transform and provide quality and safe care.