Surrey Place Achieves Accreditation with Exemplary Standing

Surrey Place is pleased to announce that it was awarded Accreditation with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada, the highest rating given by the accreditation program.

Accreditation is a voluntary process that evaluates the clinical and operational practices of healthcare organizations against the standards of excellence. It provides a transparent framework for organizations to identify areas of improvement and be held accountable for delivering exceptional client care and service. The comprehensive assessment conducted by Accreditation Canada standards examines an organization’s governance, leadership, risk management, infection prevention and control, and medication management measures, as well as the quality of care in those care areas provided by the organization.

“We are immensely proud of achieving the highest accreditation standing,” said Terri Hewitt, CEO, of Surrey Place. “Our dedicated staff played an important role in the process, and this recognition serves as a true testament to our organization’s unwavering commitment to prioritizing safe, high-quality care for our clients and community every single day.”

The evaluation process consisted of a virtual evaluation in February 2021, followed by an onsite visit on September 28 and 29, 2022, where surveyors reviewed documentation, observed client processes, and interviewed clients, families, staff, board members and community partners.

Accreditation Canada surveyors admired Surrey Places’ staff, who take a deep pride in their work, noting their high engagement and collaboration efforts with the management team in advancing the organization’s goals.

Surveyors further recognized Surrey Place for the following achievements:

  • Intensified focus on quality and safety
  • Co-designing initiatives with clients and families
  • Development of an ethical framework for non-clinical issues
  • Creation of targeted metrics aligned with strategic and operational plans
  • Comprehensive overhaul of incident tracking related to complaints and concerns
  • Intensified focus on waitlist management
  • Adoption of new protocols, practices, policies and technology during the pandemic, including innovative ways to connect with clients virtually.

The commitment and dedication of those involved in Surrey Place’s work are once again reflected in the organization meeting 99.1% of the more than 730 unique criteria reviewed by Accreditation Canada.

Surrey Place takes great pride in delivering higher quality of care and making the organization safer for clients, their families, and staff members.

About Accreditation Canada

Accreditation Canada delivers a wide range of high-impact assessment programs for health and social service organizations, powered by HSO, and customized to local needs. Accreditation Canada works with more than 900 expert peer surveyors with extensive health care and social services experience and trained in Accreditation Canada’s customized, continuous assessment program. For more than 60 years, Accreditation Canada has been working with health, social and community service organizations to advance quality and safety, www.accreditation.ca

About Surrey Place

For over sixty years, Surrey Place has been a leader in providing clinical services and support for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the Toronto region. Our services focus on meeting the diverse needs of people of all ages and empower clients at every stage of their lifelong journey. We pride ourselves on being recognized as a trusted partner and an expert in the sector, rooted in an approach that empowers both our client and their circle of care.

By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO