Accreditation Canada recently gave Toronto's Runnymede Healthcare Centre top marks.

Runnymede Healthcare Centre achieved a four-year Accreditation with Exemplary Standing, the highest award a Canadian healthcare provider can receive, from the independent organization that sets standards for quality and safety in healthcare.

Recent data from Accreditation Canada revealed only 30 per cent of organizations accredited in 2011 received the exemplary standing.

Accreditation is a comprehensive and rigorous process that requires documented and operational evidence of compliance with numerous organizational standards and practices that pertain to quality and safety, including health system performance, governance, patient safety, performance measurement and risk prevention planning.

Runnymede met all 534 standards it was assessed against earning a score of 100 per cent compliance, demonstrating the hospital's ongoing commitment to clinical excellence and continuous quality improvement.

Two Accreditation Canada surveyors conducted an evaluation of Runnymede Healthcare Centre in early June. They met with various hospital stakeholders, including staff, patients and community partners during their visit to gauge the effectiveness of the organization's programs and services as compared to their peers. The following were identified as the hospital's key strengths in Accreditation Canada's feedback:

• Strong and committed leadership
• Commitment to quality and safety
• Ethical decision-making
• Risk management
• Ongoing quality improvement