Louth hospitals awarded prestigious Pathway to Excellence Accreditation

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Louth County Hospital and the Cottage Community Hospital, have been awarded Pathway to Excellence designation, the globally recognised and prestigious accreditation from American Nurses Credentialing Centre Destination. Louth Hospitals are now only the second in Ireland and the EU to achieve this distinguished accreditation.

The Pathway to Excellence program is a globally recognised quality standard, a designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Centre (ANCC) that recognises healthcare organisations for creating positive practice environments for nurses. It focuses on building healthy inclusive workplaces that support nurses' well-being, professional development, and engagement, ultimately leading to improved patient care and nursing and healthcare excellence.

The program emphasises shared decision-making, inter-professional collaboration, and staff well-being, and it provides a framework for organisations to both achieve and sustain excellence.

Adrian Cleary, Director of Nursing said, "The Pathway to Excellence designation will put us on the global map as a positive and inclusive place to practice nursing, which in turn has better outcomes for our patients through nursing excellence, ensuring we continue to attract and retain the very best nurses."

The Nursing team, who participated in the EU Magnet 4 Europe research Programme prior to their Pathway to Excellence application, have been on the pre-application journey for 12 months. A written submission and evidence of performance (a 700-page document) was submitted to the ANCC, with nurses also taking part in a staff survey, yielding an overwhelming response rate of 85%.

The ANCC Pathway to Excellence Framework depicts the six standards that are essential elements in developing a positive practice environment for nursing across a variety of healthcare settings: Shared Decision-Making, Leadership, Safety, Quality, Well-being, and Professional Development

Patrick Clerkin, Integrated Healthcare Manager for Louth Meath said: "This recognition highlights how we continually strive to improve patient care and uphold the highest standards of safety and quality.  It also helps us to identify any improvements needed so we can continue to strive for the best experience possible for both our staff and patients."

Nurses operate on the front line of health care, dedicating their working lives to protecting, promoting and improving health care for all. To do this to the best of their ability they need to operate in an environment that supports their own needs and promotes high standards.

The American Nurses Credentialing Centre (ANCC) believes every nurse deserves to be working in such an environment. The Pathway to Excellence Program® – the premier designation for healthy work environments – recognizes health care organisations that demonstrate a commitment to establishing the foundation of a healthy workplace for staff.

Pathway Standards impact a range of factors that influence bottom-line results, such as employee turnover, job satisfaction, staff engagement, productivity, and teamwork.  The standards also influence nursing-sensitive quality indicators, errors and safety events, and patient satisfaction.