23 July 2010
Staff working at an adult mental acute ward in Jersey have been given prestigious national accreditation for their work with clients.
Orchard House has received recognition from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and has achieved AIMS status - Accreditation for Inpatient Mental Health Services.
Speaking about the accolade, charge nurse David Lund said "We wanted something that we could measure our current standards against, and we believed that the AIMS would help us to maintain and improve high standards for patient care. It really ties in well with good governance and clinical audit.
“In 2008 we received our first review, which involved a host team coming from England and assessing our level of standards. We passed this and received our accreditation, and our second year review took place in 2010. This involved a lot of work - you have to provide evidence that you are meeting type 1 standards to continue to be accredited.
"These areas include environment and facilities audit, health record audit, ward manager questionnaire, staff questionnaire, patient and carer questionnaire, and a training grid. I would like to thank all the nursing staff, domestics and kitchen staff for all their hard work. Without their commitment none of this would have been possible.
"For us, the accreditation is fantastic news. It is like a restaurant getting its first Michelin star. It was great to get recognition for the quality of care Orchard House is providing. We will continue to strive to improve standards and AIMS will help with this process. Reviews will take place again, the third in 2011 with a host team coming over from England."
Health and Social Services Minister, Deputy Anne Pryke, said "It is wonderful that the team have achieved this status, which means that the clients at Orchard House are assured of the very best care. This recent accolade is well deserved and I offer my congratulations to the team.”
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