In June 2016, one of the German AniCura clinics, AniCura Kleintierzentrum Heilbronn GmbH, was successfully certified under the German GVP codex. The clinic is now part of an exclusive but growing group of formally quality certified clinics in Germany.
The GVP codex is a quality framework related to the international quality standard DIN EN ISO 9001 and published by the German association of veterinarians. Every two years, an independent auditor visits the respective clinics to inspect and approve the local quality management system. This occurs with the best interest of the pet owner in mind.
During the process of developing the local quality management system at the clinic, the entire team critically scrutinized every routine and process to develop and improve patient safety and service.
A good and sustainable quality management starts at the front desk and covers every area in the veterinary practice. In combination with AniCura's own quality program, QualiCura, it ensures safe processes and medical quality in daily business.
In preparation for the audit, the clinic included the results from two of the QualiCura surveys (surgical site infections and infection prevention control) and used the feedback to define some new routines especially in hygiene.
The overall awareness of hygiene and quality has grown rapidly as a consequence. For example, the hygiene routine is now monitored on a regular basis; the manual reprocessing of instruments is being switched to a machine-based instrument reprocessing at the beginning of 2017, and the disinfection procedures in the examination rooms have been improved.
The fact that the entire team took part in the decisions taken was crucial in implementing the new processes and products.
The auditor was impressed to learn about QualiCura and the concrete benefits it brings about in the clinic. The team was rewarded with a 100% score during the GVP audit - congratulations!
