Governance and leadership standards will be part of a more focused review process for the hospitals on the Island.

May 18 to May 22 the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) and the Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute (MAWI) will undergo their on-site visit as part of their three year accreditation process by the Canadian Council on Health Service (CCHSA).

The CCHSA has been accrediting the hospitals every three years since the 1980s and this year a different approach will be taken.

Wendy Nicklin, the president and CEO of the CCHSA said it was all about streamlining the process and making sure they get a good understanding of what the hospitals are doing.

She said: "The overall purpose is unchanged. The process is about a better way to administer the programme. We are streamlining the (accreditation) programme.

"What we are trying to do is to control the work load."

One way of handling the work load, according to Ms Nicklin, is with an updated standards that include governance and infection control to ensure less redundancy.