The patient safety of our healthcare in Bermuda is on par with the standards of hospitals in Canada.Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) has maintained its accreditation according to a preliminary report from Accreditation Canada.Five surveyors spent five days visiting all healthcare sites last month and concluded that BHB had met 97.7 percent of the 2, 651 applicable criteria.The surveyors looked at criteria such as the safe administration of medication, the prevention of hospital-acquired infections and the placing of surgical checklists. Strategic planning, community relationships and governance were also reviewed.The 2011 score is an improvement on the same preliminary stage of the accreditation process in the last survey in 2008, which had about 1,000 fewer criteria. In 2008 the BHB score was 92.96 percent for 1,590 standardsThe BHB is not mandated to go through this survey, but chooses to every three years as it is believed it is “the best way to ensure that quality continues to improve”.Health Minister Zane DeSilva told the House of Assembly that lots of things were being done right and it was “cause for celebration”.He said in a ministerial statement: “I would like to start by congratulating the BHB board and staff on the great improvement compared to the same preliminary stage of the accreditation process in the last survey in 2008.“This time around, the BHB met a higher percentage of Accreditation Canada standards.“This accomplishment is even more impressive when you learn that this was achieved while being measured against over 1,000 additional criteria this year.“I’m certain that the public is as proud as I am at the many positives in this report.”The survey covers all healthcare facilities, including King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute and the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre.The BHB said it was already addressing the issues highlighted for improvement. These include patient education, upgrading the environment and food, improving understanding about the ethics committee and improved communication.Herman Tucker, BHB board chairman, said: “The board is uncompromising in its expectations around the quality of the services provided by BHB and I congratulate staff on the very positive nature of the preliminary report and for successfully maintaining accreditation.”BHB’s deputy CEO Venetta Symonds said: “While we have maintained accreditation, we are working towards addressing the conditions highlighted, just as in 2008. The good news is that we have fewer conditions to address this time.“However, it must be noted that improving quality in hospitals is a journey that never ends. Even after the final report, we will be monitoring adherence to current standards and expect new standards each year to keep raising the bar on the quality of our services.”The accreditation preliminary report will be available to view by the public after it has been reviewed by BHB later this month.The preliminary report allows BHB to comment and make further improvements before the comprehensive report and final result is applied by the end of the year.In 2008, following the preliminary report, BHB provided evidence that unmet standards had been fulfilled, and the final report gave BHB full accreditation without conditions.