FLA-TAC ACCREDITATION ASSESSMENTS

MOCK / ON-SITE PLANNING

This checklist can be used as a guide to help ensure a problem free on-site or mock assessment. There are many variables involved in the planning of an assessment, and all of these should be taken into account. The better the prior planning, the better chance the inspection will go smoothly. Remember, “Murphy’s Law” will come into play and states that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Try and anticipate problems and address them before the assessors arrive.

Read through the instructions, then use the checklistsin the planning packet to help set up your mock or onsite. Complete the checklists with a PENCIL, so you can make changes as necessary (unless you’re the kind that does the crossword puzzle in ink and are certain no changes will occur. Wrong!).

Each item can be checked off as it is completed. Those items identified with a “” are important points to remember.

REQUESTING THE MOCK

If you are planning a mock, it is up to the communications center to determine when the mock should be held; FLA-TAC does not have any official role in scheduling or setting up mock assessments, and all arrangements must be made by the communications center. A list of qualified assessors can be obtained directly from FLA-TAC.

How should a mock be conducted? That is up to the communications center and/or the accreditation manager. The best advice is this: use the mock as a “dry run” or dress rehearsal for the on-site. If you conduct the mock as if it were the real thing, you will be able to identify problems and weaknesses and correct or adjust them before the on-site.

SETTING UP THE ON-SITE

The CEO or OIC of your communications center can request an on-site assessment, in writing, through the Executive Director of FLA-TAC. There are time constraints involved in this, so check with FLA-TAC to determine potential dates and make certain your mock is scheduled early enough that you will be able to repair everything prior to the on-site (six to eight weeks between the mock and on-site is a good rule of thumb). FLA-TAC may also contact your communications center to notify you that the on-site is being planned. The dates are determined by the terms of your contract with FLA-TAC.

SELECTION OF ASSESSORS

For an on-site, FLA-TAC will select a minimum of two individuals from the pool of trained, Commission certified assessors and will appoint one as “Team Leader.” For large communications centersor those with remote locations additional assessors may be necessary.

For a mock, it is the accreditation manager’s responsibility to select assessors and ask one to be Team Leader. As with an on-site, at least two assessors should be chosen for a mock, but the accreditation manager can choose to have more if desired. Alternatively, a Team Leader can be chosen and asked to select his or her team.

Regardless of whether it is a mock or an onsite, after the assessors have been identified, do the following things and ask the following questions:

Make telephone contact with each assessor. Introduce yourself and provide the assessors with your office and cell phone numbers, as well as your e-mail address and fax number.

Confirm the dates of the assessment, including travel days if needed.

Ask if the assessor’s agency is providing a vehicle, or if your agency will need to pay a travel allowance (at the standard state rate) for the assessor to use his/her personal vehicle.

If the assessor is flying, obtain information such as flight number, arrival time, etc. If the flight is by department aircraft, provide information on the local flight service center for the agency pilot. Make arrangements to meet the flight at the airport.

Determine if the assessor has a preference for a smoking or non-smoking hotel room.

Ask if the assessor has particular exercise needs. This is helpful for selecting a hotel with appropriate equipment.

Ask if the assessor has any food preferences/food allergies (this is helpful if the communications center is providing snacks during the assessment).Ask the assessor’s beverage preferences (e.g., some people prefer tea and do not drink coffee, some are allergic to ingredients in certain beverages, etc.).

Ask if the assessor wants any documentation from your communications center in addition to that listed below.

Determine if the assessor requires any special equipment. For example, the assessors may need extension cords or surge protectors in the hotel rooms or file review room. Will the assessor need an internet connection in his/her hotel room? For an on-site: if an assessor does not have access to a laptop, the communications center will be required to furnish a laptop or desktop computer for use by the assessor.

Do the assessors have any other special needs?

Determine if a written request needs to be made to the assessor’s CEO.

For an on-site, if the Accreditation Manager or CEO wishes to reject an assessor, it must be done in writing to the FLA-TAC Executive Director, who has final authority on the subject. Valid reasons must be presented for the rejection.

For a mock assessment, it is entirely up to the communications center CEO and/or accreditation manager who is selected for the assessment team. In general, you want to find the most thorough, detail oriented assessors possible.

ADVANCE PLANNING

Research area hotels.

Ideally, the hotel should be close to the communications center and close (walking distance) to restaurants. If there are multiple locations and extra assessors have been assigned, they should all stay at the same hotel and transportation arrangements made to coordinate with the assessors activities.

Make hotel reservations and obtain a reservation confirmation number for each assessor.

Determine the method of payment and arrange with hotel staff when and how the payment will be made (assessors should be able to check-in and check-out without a problem and without being asked to pay for their room).

Obtain the name of a contact person at the hotel in case questions or problems arise.

It is customary and acceptable for the assessors to be asked for a personal credit card for incidentals. Thecommunications center is NOT required to pay for calls home, the honor bar, dry cleaning or any other services.

Mail (snail mail or electronically) to each assessor:

Self-assessment report (electronic tracking chart)

Current organizational chart

Service area (jurisdiction) demographics

Policy outlining written directive system

Previous two FLA-TAC annual reports (reaccreditation only)

Annual report distributed to the community, if published

Itinerary of the assessment

Mock team names and dates

Hotel accommodation information (confirmation numbers)

Maps

Map to hotel from assessor’s home city.

Map from hotel to communications center

Instructions on parking

Previous onsite team Final Report (reaccreditation only)

For a final on-site, FLA-TAC will send a letter to the accreditation managerlisting all the above items, which MUST be sent to each assessor. FLA-TAC may also ask that some of the above items be sent to the FLA-TAC office. For a mock, you should send the same documents as listed (with the exception of those that don’t apply, like the list of mock assessors).

Some communications centershave created a booklet or three ring binder containing everything listed, whichalthough is not required, makes a very nice, professional presentation.

TWO TO FOUR WEEKS BEFORE THE ASSESSMENT

Through whatever method is appropriate to your communications center, obtain and mail per diem allowance (and any travel allowance) to the assessors.

If it is decided to present the per diem to the assessors after their arrival, you may want to consider providing it in cash instead of by check, due to the difficulty in cashing checks by assessors from out of town. Assessors should sign whatever documentation or receipts your communications center requires to receive their per diem. Contact each assessor and inform them in advance if the per diem will not be presented until their arrival.

If for some reason, per diem will not be available until after the assessment, notify the assessors in advance. It is common for some organizations to take up to six weeks to mail a per diem check to an assessor, so let them know if this will occur.

Brief the Command Staff. This may be through a memorandum outlining the process, a staff meeting or by whatever means is most effective. An overview of the process and what to expect (and what NOT to do) is the objective.

Brief other organization personnel. This is necessary for “buy-in” of personnel and to relieve anxiety the process may have created. Again, an overview of the process and what to expect (and what NOT to do) is the objective.

Brief other agencies, if appropriate. For example, if personnel hiring practices are not controlled by your communications center but by the city or county Human Resources Section, meet with the proper persons and provide an overview of the process to them. Remember, even if a service is provided by another entity, whether government or private, they must be in compliance with the applicable standards.

But you have of course, been providing all of the above peoplewith regular briefings, reports and updates throughout the entireaccreditation process...... haven’t you??????????????

Providing a continuous flow of information to personnel, both those you work with and those from other organizations, is important to the successful completion of accreditation. Personnel are directly affected by this process, and need to develop some ownership over it to achieve maximum comfort levels. At this point it iscrucial to keep everyone informed of the status and progress of the project, so it is critical to keep everyone informed.

Advertise the onsite. This can be done in any manner the agency feels appropriate (newspaper, television or radio) as long as the public is informed. FLA-TAC can provide a sample press release, and it contains instructions for contacting FLA-TAC if members of the public wish to comment about the agency. A copy of your advertisement (or a tape if using radio or television) should be given to the team leader, as it must be included in his/her final report.

Check with key personnel (HR Director, Training Officer, etc.), to make sure they will be available during the mock and onsite. If vacations, schools or anything else have already been scheduled, have them get a back-up person trained and familiar with what will need to be done during the assessment.

ONE WEEK BEFORE THE ASSESSMENT

Visit the hotel and confirm all arrangements have been properly made.

Contact the assessors and determine if any of their plans have changed, or if they require anything beyond what has already been discussed or provided.

Confirm the assessors have received the packet of information mentioned above.

Prepare a checklist for communications center personnel. Anything that still needs to be attended to prior to the on-site or mock, or anything that needs to be done during either should be included.

Distribute the checklist to EVERY person who is even remotely connected to the assessment.

Be aware that personnel who will be on vacation or on days off just prior to the assessment may not be aware of last minute changes. These will be the first people to let you down, but it won’t be their fault if you haven’t updated them on the “game plan.”

DAY BEFORE THE ASSESSMENT

Remember: if something can go wrong, this is the time it will!!!!!

Re-contact the hotel and confirm all arrangements are in place. You may even want to personally visit the site and meet with your contact person just to inform them of any last minute changes.

Contact any other essential personnel and ascertain all final arrangements are in place.

Set up the file review room.

Relax (this will be virtually impossible, but it sounds nice!). Don’t forget to buy that fifty-five gallon drum of antacid. 

MEETING THE ASSESSORS

If it has been arranged ahead of time, meet with the assessors as they arrive in your town and welcome them (consider including your entire accreditation staff, also). It is acceptable to meet them for lunch or dinner, however, it is not appropriate to buy meals for them. As you are paying per diem to the assessors they will each expect to pay for the meal themselves.

Regardless of whether you have met the assessors when they arrived in your city, be prepared to hold a formal meeting prior to the beginning of the assessment during which the Team Leader will outline the ground rules for the inspection, define strategies, etc. When this meeting is held is solely up to the Team Leader, so you must be flexible in your availability. Team Leaders will want to meet somewhere privately with their team so assignments can be made and procedures explained. These are training sessions for the assessors, are required by FLA-TAC and agency personnel do not attend.

The following is optional, but creates a professional presentation: upon meeting each assessor, present a packet with the following:

Contact list (communications center contact numbers, home phone numbers, hotel phone number, time/temperature phone number, walk-in clinic number for sudden illnesses, etc). Some organizationshave prepared a laminated wallet size card for this purpose.

List of restaurants (with average prices, types of food, etc).

List of local attractions.

One organization had a map of the city affixed to the wall in each assessor’s hotel room. During the night a midnight shift “business checklist” was slipped under each assessor’s door to show the assessors were given a safety check. Another organization had plastic “Assessor” name badges with photographs made for each member of the team. These things are, of course above and beyond what is required by the communications center, but present a very impressive image to the assessors.

Work out details with the Team Leader for transportation arrangements the first day of the mock or on-site. Will you or your staff drive the assessors to your center? Will you drive but have them follow in their own vehicles? Will they have to find their way to your location without you? Don’t forget the maps!

If the assessors are driving to your facility and parking requires a special permit, sticker, sign, key, or gate code, have these ready and present them to the assessors the night before the assessment.

DON’T LEAVE THE ASSESSORS HANGING – GET 'EM A

PARKING SPACE SOMEWHERE!

ASSESSMENT AGENDA

Generally the assessment, regardless of whether it is a mock or onsite, will follow this sequence of events:

1.Meet the assessors.

2.Get everyone settled in the file review room.

3.Hold the entrance interview.

4.Conduct the tour. AND GOOD GRIEF – KEEP IT SHORT!

5.File review begins. Some interviews or inspections of organizational components will be done.

6.File review continues for the second day. Interviews or inspections of organizational components will be done and any last minute interviews or inspections are done.

7. Assessors will need time to prepare notes for the exit interview.

8.Exit interview occurs.

9.Assessors leave.

10.You go home and collapse,totally fatigued.

The exact sequence of events may change depending on the needs of the team and the communications center. For example, the CEO or OIC may not be available for an entrance interview until the afternoon of the first day or even the morning of the second day. Be flexible. Be prepared.

What follows are detailed instructions for each day and component of the assessment. Read on in breathless anticipation!

ASSESSMENT - DAY ONE

Pick up the assessors and transport them to your office if this has been agreed upon. Otherwise, greet the assessors on their arrival at your office. Allow enough time prior to beginning the entrance interview or tour for everyone to get acquainted and comfortable in their surroundings.

If security badges/passes with the assessor’s photo or signature are required in your facility, they should be made as soon as the team has arrived (a specially designated pass also becomes a nice souvenir). If non-photo security passes are required, these can be presented the night before with the packet mentioned above. If assessors are required to sign-in before entering the facility, make sure this is accomplished.

Attend the “Entrance” meeting with the assessors and agency Chief Executive or OIC. Anyone the CEO wishes may attend this meeting, but it is usually desirable to keep the meeting small.

As Accreditation Manager, it is your responsibility to make introductions. Include the assessors name, rank/title, agency and city. Next, introduce agency personnel starting with your CEO/OIC and working down in rank. Alternatively, once the CEO/OIC is introduced he/she can introduce the other attendees.