Joseph Brant Hospital Annual Report 2019 JBH Annual Report 2019 | Page 6

Message from the Board Chair and President & CEO At Joseph Brant Hospital we are most proud of the foundational work that we have invested in over the past few years related to service excellence, quality and safety and outstanding customer service. This has been instrumental in positioning Joseph Brant Hospital to take positive steps needed to build a strong and sustainable future for health care in our community. As an entire hospital team it was particularly rewarding to see our efforts acknowledged when for the second time in the past eight years we were recognized as one of an elite group of hospitals to be `Accredited with Exemplary Standing` by Accreditation Canada – the highest designation possible. Care is such a small word, and yet it fills a large space. We have seen ongoing improvements over the past fiscal year that truly has made a difference in the lives of our patients. With the hospital focused on our people and processes, here are some of our successes during 2018-19: • Opened our new Complete Breast Care Program • Opened the new Total Joint Rehabilitation Clinic • I  mplemented new medication and reconciliation software across all inpatient units to reduce the patient risk of medication errors. During the past fiscal year we have also introduced our new `People Strategy` reinforcing our commitment to developing our people and creating an environment that retains and attracts the brightest and best physicians, staff and volunteers. Although we are still in the early stages we are seeing some positive signs including the hiring of 280 new employees, of which 121 were nurses. As well, we have successfully implemented our new 6 Joseph Brant Hospital `Grow Our Own` Perioperative Nursing Program for six Perioperative Nurses to fill vacancies in our Operating Rooms and for the fourth consecutive year we have been recognized as one of the top Hamilton Niagara`s Top Employers for 2019. JBH has in place a team of highly skilled, highly regarded and compassionate nurses, doctors, staff, and volunteers who are united in their desire to advance the quality of life of our patients. Our hospital is growing and we continue to be in growth mode with our current staff count at 1882. Our staff and physicians were also asked for their feedback in our 2018 Healthy Workplace Survey. This year we saw a significant increase in engagement scores. Overall organizational engagement scores have increased almost 7% and physician engagement scores were up by 6% from our previous survey in 2016. With the completion of our new Michael Lee-Chin and Family Patient Tower in August 2017 we turned our attention to the redevelopment of the North Tower, formerly our original hospital that was built in 1961. The redevelopment project has been completed, on time and on budget. Overall, we are very satisfied with the work that has been completed and we feel that it truly benefits the people who need to use our new Joseph Brant Hospital facility. One of these new features is that when you now visit the North Tower you will see a newly renovated Ambulatory Care area that been designed to meet the needs of our patients and families with a centralized registration area, clinic specific waiting areas, and individual clinic rooms that have been designed for