Bermuda's hospitals are being served well by their board and physician relations are improving, however, the age of the buildings remains a concern according to the first public preliminary accreditation report.

Both King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute are reviewed by the Canadian Council on Health Service (CCHSA) every three years.

The last on-site visit was in 2005 and this year the CCHSA was using a new programme that included approaching patients to relate their experiences at the Island's hospitals.

For the first time the BHB decided to make the CCHSA's preliminary accreditation report public as: "it recognises there is public interest in its ongoing commitment to quality improvement."

One of the challenges highlighted in the report is: "The age of the facility especially the medical and surgical units is challenging.

"A master estate plan has been developed and it now rests with the Ministry for approvals. In the meantime, the upkeep of the care areas continues to be an area of focus."

It later states that there was cause for concern from reports of the Occupational Health and Safety Minutes (OHS) which stated there was asbestos, mould and exposed wires in MWI.

Yesterday a BHB spokesperson announced that a Performance and Accreditation Manager had been hired to ensure the facilities were up to accreditation standards and that these reports had been investigated and no asbestos had been found.

She said: "The concerns have been investigated. There was no asbestos exposure and the plywood on the windows was a temporary measure in Reid Ward after a window was broken.

"However, as our facilities are ageing, constant investment in maintenance and renovations are needed and a planned maintenance programme has been established to ensure we continue to focus on improving our facilities.

"To further maintain and improve the state of all our facilities a "Performance & Accreditation Manager" for the Estates & Facilities directorate was appointed on 1 July 2008, whose responsibility it is to ensure all issues raised in Accreditation with regards to our facilities are resolved and to continuously audit and review hospital systems and facilities in between Accreditation reports as part of BHB's commitment to maintain 'Accreditation Everyday'."

The spokesperson also pointed to the clean-up at MWI which was reported in this paper and used an American firm to ferret out the mould.

It was part of a larger renovation project which meant patients were moved for their safety according to BHB.

However, KEMH did get rave reviews for their Critical Care Unit, which the CCHSA described as having "an award-winning design".

And as the report focused on governance, the BHB received accolades for their improved performance with the report stating: "Board members identified that they have grown to focus on governance issues versus the micromanagement perspective they may have held in previous years.

"This is due in large part to the more balanced composition of the board membership and the trust in the new leadership team."

Further, the report states that headway is being made on the Ombudsman's report into improving physician relations and that the infection control programme is excellent.

Last night David Hill, the CEO of BHB said: "We are extremely proud of the success of our staff in achieving a forecast accreditation result and meeting 1,444 of the 1,555 or 93 percent of applicable accreditation standards.

"We are very pleased to share this document with the community."