Q Mark for Nursing Homes
The Q Mark for Nursing Homes is a business excellence framework that reviews all aspects of a nursing home on an annual basis. It was developed with the assistance of the Irish Nursing Homes Organisation (INHO now known as Nursing Homes Ireland) and The Irish Society for Quality and Safety in Healthcare (ISQSH).
Benefits of Holding The Q Mark for Nursing Homes Certification
- The Q Mark for Nursing Homes gives you third party certification from the National Quality Organisation (EIQA – The Guardians of The Q Mark) which enhances your client’s confidence in all aspects of your nursing home’s processes, procedures and quality of care. (Current consumer recognition of The Q Mark stands at 87% – September 2012, Ireland)
- The Q Mark ensures that you are fully conversant and compliant with all relevant legislative and regulatory controls, and gives your team a framework which encourages them to operate to the highest operational standard.
- The Q Mark identifies what is working for you and what’s not working for you, at ALL levels within your nursing home.
- The Q Mark gives you competitive advantage by demonstrating your organisation’s commitment to the highest standard of quality and excellence by using distinctive certification and marketing material based on the most widely used framework in Ireland.
- The Q Mark enhances your opportunity at tender because you can demonstrate that your quality of care management system operates to the highest level.
What The Q Mark can do for Your Business
- Increase your revenue
- Increase your turnover
- Increase your customer base
- Increase your profit margins
- Increase staff output rates
- Decrease staff absenteeism
- Improve your company’s processes and procedures
- Improve your business efficiency
The Q Mark for Nursing Homes – The Only 100% Continuous Improvement Programme!
The Q Mark for Nursing Homes is a continuous improvement programme. This means that 100% of a nursing home’s processes, procedures and resources are assessed on an annual basis in compliance with the Q Mark for Nursing Homes framework criteria.
At the end of each annual audit, each nursing home is given an extensive business report. This will identify current best practices as well as suggested areas for improvement and will provide the nursing home operator with the basis of a business plan for the year ahead. The report will also identify ways for the nursing home to operate to the highest standard of quality care and provide an excellent quality of life for residents.
During subsequent audits, all recommendations from previous reports will be assessed to ensure that every Nursing Home continues to improve their standard of operation year on year.
Using The Q Mark framework ensures that a nursing home has accountability in every part of their service, and whilst enhancing consumer and client confidence, it allows for easy preparation for the annual regulatory authority enforcement audit e.g. HIQA.
Who Should Apply for The Q Mark for Nursing Homes
The Q Mark for Nursing Homes is for every company operating in the Quality of Care Residential Sector. (Single or Multi-site)
The Q Mark for Nursing Homes Framework Explained:
The Q Mark framework for Nursing Homes is based on four principal elements, all of which are underpinned by continuous improvement.
Continuous improvement simply means that there is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes.
The four principal elements are:
- Organisational Commitment
Evidence of legal compliance, commitment to continuous improvement and pro-active approach to business planning. - Employee Engagement
All aspects of employment, including recruitment process, induction and training. - Support Systems
All internal processes that are used on a daily basis to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the nursing home. - Quality of Life
Commitment to ensuring quality principles are applied in all activities and issues that affect the day to day care of the residents.
Achieving The Q Mark for Nursing Homes Certification
A nursing home must score a minimum of 30% in each of the 4 elements and a minimum of 40% overall to gain certification.
How to Apply for The Q Mark for Nursing Homes
- Complete the on-line registration form Here
- On receipt of your application and fee payment, you will receive your registration certificate from Excellence Ireland Quality Association (EIQA) along with your copy of The Q Mark for Nursing Homes Framework.
- Nursing Homes Framework, create a checklist of areas in your business that do, and do not comply with the requirements.
- When you are ready for your audit contact us to confirm a date to complete your audit.
The Q Mark team will be happy to support your preparation for your audit and will answer any queries that you may have about the requirements of the framework.
If you would like to compare your current operating standards to The Q Mark for Nursing Homes Certification framework, you can apply for a mock-audit. This is a full audit by an experienced auditor who will guide you through the process at a time and date that suits your schedule.