Elizabeth McGratten Director of Nursing and Social Care, Brendan Harold Strategy Implementation Lead, Tanya King CEO, Catherine Slattery Director of Rehabilitation Craig Gowran HR Director with SDCC Mayor Francis Timmons
‘Important milestone’ for Peamount Healthcare facility
PEAMOUNT Healthcare celebrated a landmark three-year accreditation for its adult inpatient rehabilitation programmes on Thursday (October 1).
The accreditation granted by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, or CARF, recognises the work undertaken by the staff at the facility on Peamount Road, Newcastle.
Peamount Healthcare’s Strategic Plan outlined the achievement of this accreditation as a key conmmitment – the strategic plan aims to establish the organisation as the recognised Regional Centre of Excellence and place of choice for specialist rehabilitation.
Peamount Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Tanya King stated her pride at the “important milestone” and noted the “high standard” of care that it recognises.
The CEO said: “This three-year accreditation is a landmark achievement for Peamount Healthcare and an important delivery milestone in our strategy. It provides independent recognition of the high standards our teams uphold every day and of our commitment to continuous improvement.
“Most importantly, it reflects the skill, compassion and shared purpose of colleagues across the organisation.
“I am immensely proud of what they have achieved together as we continue to develop Peamount as a Regional Centre of Excellence for Specialist Rehabilitation.”
The CARF site survey that led to the accreditation took place in July, and the three-year recognition lasts until August 31, 2029.
The inpatient rehabilitation services were evaluated against international governance and rehabilitation standards during the survey.
Peamount provides consultant-led, multidisciplinary specialist rehabilitation in neurology, age-related care, respiratory care and rheumatology, alongside residential and community services. It has 230 beds and approximately 690 employees.
CARF describes accreditation as an ongoing process that demonstrates a provider’s commitment to continuous performance improvement, responsiveness to feedback and accountability to its community and stakeholders.
The standards of accreditation address a wide range of rehabilitation elements including clinical excellence, person-centred care, leadership, governance, performance measurement and continuous quality improvement.
The process involved extensive preparation and evidence collection, there was substantial engagement across the organisation from staff, patients, families and external stakeholders.
Director of Rehabilitation Catherine Slattery noted that the accreditation is a recognition of the local centre’s approach but not “an endpoint”, and that it will be used to motivate the team further.
The Director of Rehabilitation stated: “CARF accreditation is grounded in what patient’s experience: coordinated interdisciplinary care, meaningful participation in their rehabilitation and a clear focus on outcomes and independence.
“The surveyors’ recognition of our person-centred approach, clinical expertise and culture of innovation is a tremendous endorsement of our rehabilitation teams.
“Accreditation is not an endpoint; it strengthens our resolve to keep learning, measuring and improving the services we provide.”
