Community Care recognized for commitment to quality improvement

The Community Care Health and Care Network was in the spotlight recently when it was recognized by provincial peers for commitments to making improvements when processing clients and their caregivers.

Community Care received the Commitment to Quality Improvement Award from the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA).

The OCSA is the provincial voice for home and community support sectors for health care. Member organizations, including Community Care, provide a wide variety of health and wellness services to help clients live independently in their own homes and communities for as long as possible.

Community Care was recognized for its move to a centralized intake process for clients, regardless of which organization office individuals may approach for assistance.

Over the past few years, the organization’s Community Support Services (CSS) program area moved from a decentralized intake process of clients to a uniform, centralized model that has proven to be much more efficient, effective and beneficial for staff, clients and health care partners.

The centralized intake process allows clients and family members to be linked to the most appropriate services, based on their needs, says Joan Skelton, Community Care’s director of community support services.

“The referral process is now uniform across programs and centralized intake provides consistent structure for referral follow-up,” Skelton says.

The process ensures complete client information and a standardized experience for more than 1,200 current clients, as well as new ones who register annually for home support and transportation services. New clients now receive comprehensive registration and information on services, resulting in a positive client experience, consistent orientation to services, and reliable completeness of intake records.

The Commitment to Quality Improvement award was presented at the annual OCSA conference in Markham. More than 300 community support organizations are OCSA members.

Since 1985, Community Care has delivered a wide range of home and community support, health and wellness and hospice services to residents of the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Community Support Services help seniors and adults with special needs lead more healthy, independent and socially engaged lives, and gives caregivers much-needed respite through programs that provide meals, personal care, accessible transportation, home making and adult day activities.

CSS offices are located in Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls and Lindsay. For more information about Community Care programs and services: 705-324-7323 or see our website here.