Quality Indicators for Nursing Agencies

Measuring Quality can be subjective, unless defined standards are set and performance is measured against them. Nursing Agencies should be held accountable to the same rigourous Quality Standard as the healthcare facility to which they are assigning their staff.

Healthcare facilities should measure the performance of the Nursing Agencies supplying staff to their facility according to benchmarks such as the following:

• Have I conducted a site visit to the agency’s office?
• Have I verified that hiring protocols exist which will:
  • Ensure a personal, in-office interview is conducted with a Recruiter
  • Verify that current Certificates of Registration are seen and noted in the employee’s files
  • Confirm that References are obtained prior to a job offer being extended
  • Ensure Skills are assessed
  • Note that Confidentiality Agreements are signed
• Do I know that as required by law:
  • A Privacy Officer exists within the Agency and that privacy standards are being met?
  • An Occupational Health and Safety Committee functions effectively?
• Am I satisfied with the agency’s annual practices for monitoring Flu Vaccinations, N-95 Mask Fit Testing, Communicable Diseases, TB Vaccinations, etc.?
• Am I satisfied that the agency’s scheduling software has the appropriate checks and balances to:
  • Restrict staff from being scheduled at my facility if so requested
  • Assign only staff with the appropriate skills to specific units
  • Restrict staff with expired Certificates of Registration from being scheduled
  • Prevent staff from working double shifts, or excessive hours per week
• Regarding Insurance:
  • Do I have an original Certificate of Insurance from the agency’s broker, not a photocopy?
  • Is my facility named on the agency’s policy?
• Do I receive a Certificate of Clearance every 60 days from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to verify premiums have been paid?
• Have I ensured the agency is the employer of the staff, and not my facility, so that my institution is not inadvertently considered to be the employer and thus liable for CPP, EI, EHT, and WSIB payments?
• Does the agency conduct regular Performance Reviews on its staff?
• Have I reviewed the Performance Indicators that the agency is tracking?
• Has the agency agreed to provide me with monthly detailed data, so that I can manage my Agency Utilization?
• Have I assessed the Ethics of the Agency?

The delivery of quality healthcare is everyone’s goal. Nursing agencies, as partners in that delivery, must ensure that they too have a Quality Management program which is satisfactory to the facility purchasing the services of the agency.