Six African healthcare facilities achieve Cohsasa accreditation, including Lagos’ Duchess International and Overstrand Hospice

Staff at Overstrand Hospice who led the accreditation process. From left: Esmé Potgieter (patient care manager) , Sister Ann Theron (home based care – HBC), Sister Susan van Sittert (HBC), Sister Petro Engelbrecht (HBC), Sister Ralie Dicks (HBC) and Sister Phindile Mazibuko

Duchess International Hospital in Lagos and Overstrand Hospice in Hermanus, Western Cape, have achieved accreditation for the first time. Their awards follow a rigorous quality improvement process that examines how a facility is governed, how care is delivered, and how risks are identified and managed.

From standards to everyday practice

Patient care manager of the Overstrand Hospice, Esmé Potgieter, says: “What stood out for me through this Cohsasa process was the buy-in and the pride the team took in the preparation for the accreditation process. It also improved teamwork and accountability across clinical and non-clinical departments.
The quality improvement process helped us to standardise documentation, medication safety and adverse event reporting.

“Although there was initial resistance to change and workload, this was well addressed through training and visible management support. It was a very good learning experience, and we are proud to have been able to achieve the 5-star status we aimed for.”

The latest awards also mark an important milestone for Cure Day Hospitals. Its Bellville and Somerset West facilities are the first in the 11-hospital South African group – soon to become 12 – to secure four-year accreditation. This longer award recognises quality systems that have matured and performance that has been sustained over successive accreditation cycles.

The healthcare facilities accredited in the Cohsasa Board's latest round are:

What accreditation means for patients

For patients, accreditation offers something practical: independent assurance that a healthcare facility has systems in place to deliver care safely, consistently and to a recognised standard.

How accreditation is earned and sustained

To achieve full Cohsasa accreditation, a healthcare facility must complete a rigorous quality improvement programme and comply with standards accredited by the International Society for Quality in Health Care External Evaluation Association (ISQua EEA), the global authority overseeing healthcare quality in more than 70 countries.

Cohsasa is also accredited by ISQua EEA and is the only internationally recognised healthcare accrediting body based in sub-Saharan Africa.

Facilities entering the Cohsasa programme initially receive a two-year accreditation once they meet these demanding standards. Longer awards follow as quality systems mature and performance is sustained. A four-year award signals that a facility has consistently met the required standards for at least eight years.

The award is not the end of the process. Every accredited facility undergoes an interim survey midway through its accreditation cycle to confirm that standards are being maintained, and patients continue to receive high-quality care.

Want to know more about accreditation? Visit www.cohsasa.co.za.