Health Sector Reform Programme of Trinidad

	Ministry of Health
	Health Sector Reform Programme of Trinidad & Tobago Bringing Healthcare closer to you !

Mission Statement of the Quality Improvement Programme

The Ministry of Health shall ensure that services provided for the population are of a high quality, sensitive
appropriate to the customers' needs and are delivered in a timely effective and efficient manner.

THE QUALITY PROGRAMME
The Ministry of Health has embarked on a comprehensive Quality Improvement programme as a key strategy to its health reform agenda.The concepts of Total Quality Management and Continuous Quality Improvement have been adopted since these are strategic management tools that foster effective teamwork, the re-engineering of systems and processes, and the improvement of outcomes and efficiency.
The programme requires all staff, policy-makers, managers, health and allied professionals and support staff to work in a synergistic way to improve quality.
The key elements of the strategy include:

• A Patient's Charter of Rights and Obligations

• A Client/Patient Feedback System

• A Clinical Audit System

• Risk Management System, including complaints management

• Quality Auditing System

• Health Services Accreditation System

• Continuous Quality Monitoring System

• A Quality Award System

GOAL OF A QI SYSTEM
The goal of a Quality Improvement System is to meet the needs of customers in an effective, efficient manner, using methods that are efficacious, safe and comparable with international benchmarks.

CONCEPTS UNDERPINNING THE DESIGN

Quality Improvement
A process which demands the application of systematic methods and tools for data collection and analysis to examine and improve work processes, and evaluate the impact of interventions to reduce waste and inefficiencies.

Quality Management
Management system that aims at a continual increase in customer satisfaction while reducing costs. It requires an organisation-wide strategy, involves all employees, requires knowledge of customers' needs and expectations, coherent vision and clearly defined organisational goals and targets.

Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance – a traditional approach which includes problem-specific identification, assessment, implementation of corrective action and follow-up. Emphasis is on retrospective audits.

Certification
A process by which an authorised body, either a governmental or non-governmental organisation, evaluates and recognises either an individual or an organisation as meeting pre-determined requirements or criteria.Although the terms accreditation and certification are often used interchangeably, accreditation usually applies only to organisations, while certification may apply to individuals as well as to organisations.

Licensure
A process by which a governmental authority grants permission to an individual practitioner or health care organisation to operate or to engage in an occupation or profession. Licensure regulations are generally established to ensure that an organisation or individual meets minimum standards to protect public health and safety.

Accreditation
A formal process by which a recognised body, usually a non-governmental organisation (NGO), assesses and recognises that a health care organisation meets applicable pre-determined and published standards. Accreditation standards are usually regarded as optimal and achievable and are designed to encourage continuous improvement efforts within accredited organisations. An accreditation decision about a health organisation is made following a periodic on-site evaluation by a team of peer reviewers, typically conducted every two to three years.

GOALS OF THE DIRECTORATE

• Improve and maintain the quality of Health Services in Trinidad and Tobago.
• Create a Quality Culture throughout Public Sector Health Facilities.
• Emphasise the delivery of value for money.

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