The accreditation status indicator is defined as whether the board of health participates in an accreditation process, and if so, indicates the accrediting organization and current accreditation status.

Accreditation sets benchmarks of consistent standards for public health services that should be met by boards of health. It also provides a process for quality improvement by identifying areas for improvement in efficiency and performance. In doing so, accreditation acts as a continuous quality improvement mechanism and embeds this as a feature of the public health culture.

Fourteen boards of health were accredited at the time of the survey. A further seven boards of health are preparing to undertake, or are currently undertaking the accreditation process.

Of the 21 boards of health involved in accreditation, 19 are accredited with or working towards accreditation with the Ontario Council on Community Health Accreditation (OCCHA), one is accredited with Accreditation Canada, and one is accredited with the National Quality Institute.

Definition:

Indicates whether a board of health participates in an accreditation process by accrediting body and current accreditation status.

Data Source(s):

Survey of boards of health, 2008

Formula:

Yes, by specific accrediting body, by accreditation status; no

Notes:

• Boards of health may have been accredited in the past, but not currently accredited
• There are differences in scope of accreditation standards across different organizations
• Numbers include boards of health that are both accredited and currently in the process of becoming accredited