Patients seeking healthcare at St. Theresa Catholic Hospital in Nandom can expect management to place renewed emphasis on strengthening quality and patient safety after the facility scored 94.23 per cent in the 2026 Upper West Regional Health Directorate’s annual peer review assessment.
The score places the hospital’s performance under an external lens, with the assessment examining not only clinical services but also the systems and conditions that shape patients’ experiences and the safety of healthcare delivery.
The exercise was conducted on Thursday, September 24, 2026, as part of the Ghana Health Service’s standardised peer review system for assessing performance and promoting continuous quality improvement across health facilities.
For residents of Nandom and surrounding communities who depend on St. Theresa Catholic Hospital for healthcare, the assessment provides an important indication of how the facility is performing across several critical components of service delivery.
The review covered nine areas, namely Environment and Infrastructure; Infection Prevention and Control; Emergency Services and Systems; Quality and Safety Management System; Clinical Practice; Client Care; Occupational Health and Safety; Governance; and the Regional Director’s Score.
The assessment team comprised representatives from St. Joseph Catholic Hospital, Jirapa; Wellembele Polyclinic; and Issa Polyclinic, providing an external perspective on the hospital’s systems and practices.
The exercise was deliberately framed as a quality improvement process rather than a fault-finding exercise.
Dr. Abarry Tahiru Mohammed, Deputy Director of Clinical Care at the Upper West Regional Health Directorate, urged the assessment team to approach the review objectively and use it to identify practices that could be replicated as well as gaps requiring attention.
He emphasised the importance of learning from the process and identifying realistic measures that could strengthen service delivery.
For St. Theresa Catholic Hospital, the 94.23 per cent score therefore represents both recognition of work already being done and a benchmark against which future improvements can be measured.
Speaking after the assessment, the Acting Medical Superintendent, Dr. Mark Padmore Awudi, described the exercise as an important mechanism for obtaining an objective assessment of the hospital’s performance.
He attributed the outcome to the collective efforts of staff and commended heads of the various units for their contribution.
Dr. Padmore, however, said management was conscious of the gaps identified during the exercise and would not become complacent because of the high score.
He assured that management would take the recommendations seriously and work towards addressing the identified gaps before the next review.
As one of the key healthcare facilities serving Nandom Municipality and communities beyond the municipality, the performance of St. Theresa Catholic Hospital has implications for residents who rely on the facility for a range of healthcare services.
The hospital’s commitment to addressing the weaknesses identified through the peer review could therefore be as significant as the 94.23 per cent score itself.
Management says the findings will be used to strengthen existing systems, address areas requiring improvement and sustain the hospital’s commitment to quality and safe healthcare delivery.
For the people of Nandom, the next test will be whether the recommendations arising from the assessment translate into measurable improvements in the hospital’s systems, patient experience and quality of care before the next review.
