Media Release

21st November, 2007

Te Rapuora Gains Quality Award

The high standards of service provided by Te Rapuora Health Services in Blenheim have been recognized by the award of accreditation status by Quality Health New Zealand. This award recognizes the quality of healthcare delivered and the commitment to continuous improvement.

Mahara Okeroa, MP for Te Rapuora will present the accreditation certificate at a party held at the offices which will be attended by staff, families and associates. “Management and staff are to be congratulated for an outstanding effort in gaining accreditation. The community can feel confident that this health service is providing excellent standards of service and safe care to its clients,” said Chairperson Mrs Yvonne Dawkins.

Te Rapuora management decided to aim for accreditation as a way of managing risk and to give the organisation a focus on quality. “Accreditation involves evaluation of all aspects of an organisation’s performance against contemporary standards of client rights, healthcare, management and safety by a team of health professional surveyors. It encourages us to maintain an ongoing commitment to quality. This leads to a higher standard of care for our clients, improved job satisfaction for our staff, and increased efficiency and effectiveness of the service”, said Te Rapuora Manager Ms Anne Hobby.

Quality Health New Zealand is an independent non-profit organisation formed in 1990, with the objective of upgrading the standard of public and private hospitals and health services in New Zealand. It has developed national quality standards for clinical, management and quality improvement systems, against which a health service is evaluated. This is the same accreditation provider that is used by most District Health Board’s including Nelson Marlborough DHB.

Accreditation surveyors examine the consumer focus and cultural appropriateness of services; the multi-disciplinary treatment and care of clients; management and clinical systems; the safety of services, personnel and facilities; the teamwork, leadership and governance in the organisation; and the commitment to continuous quality improvement. To be accredited, a health service must measure up against the standards and demonstrate its commitment to quality.

“The fact that Te Rapuora has achieved Quality Health New Zealand accreditation is tangible proof that our standards are high indeed, which must, of course be a great comfort to our clients and their friends and families,” Ms Hobby said.
For further information contact:

Anne Hobby
Manager
Te Rapuora Health Services
Phone: (03) 578 3348
Fax: (03) 578 8034