Korian Accelerates Its Network’s European Certification in 2021

27% of its sites now ISO 9001 certified in Europe

53 facilities in France ISO 9001 certified by AFNOR Certification

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

Korian's (Paris:KORI) mission is to care for elderly and fragile people and their families, while respecting their dignity, and to contribute to their quality of life. The Group has chosen quality as the first pillar of its business plan, and as such, has embarked on a global certification process to become the first care network to obtain ISO 9001 certification for all its European sites by 2023.

As part of this process, Korian has announced today that the first 53 French facilities have been certified ISO 9001 by AFNOR Certification. In total, the Group has now certified 27% of its facilities, which represents a significant increase compared to 2020 (11%), surpassing the 15% target set for 2021.

"ISO 9001 certification is a demanding means of promoting consistent quality management in all aspects of a network's activity. It enables teams to be involved, to strengthen cohesion and to increase their skills. It is an extremely rich and powerful tool, both individually and collectively, which structures and strengthens our organisation," emphasises Didier Armaingaud, Medical, Ethics & Quality-of-Service Director of the Korian Group.

In France, the project is the culmination of two years' work: 41 nursing homes and 12 post-acute and rehabilitation care facilities and mental health clinics initially underwent a self-assessment on the management and operational processes outlined in the Group's European quality standards. From there, they defined and implemented action plans to guarantee service quality and customer satisfaction, in accordance with ISO 9001 certification requirements. They were assisted in this process by central and regional support teams covering care, quality, human resources, maintenance and safety, etc.).

Finally, in October 2021, AFNOR Certification audited a sample of facilities, after having audited Korian's head office departments. Its report, which highlighted numerous strong points and a few areas for improvement, awarded these 53 facilities the initial ISO 9001 certification.

Acceleration lies ahead with more than 150 new facilities committed to this process in 2022 and nearly 200 additional facilities in 2023. For the record, 100% of post-acute and rehabilitation care facilities and mental health clinics currently have A or B certification from the Haute Autorité de Santé.

"Based on an internal quality approach already in place, we have opted for ISO 9001 certification by recognised and impartial external bodies. This guarantees high and uniform quality standards in all our facilities. I salute our support and operational teams for their commitment to this approach, which enhances patient and resident satisfaction as well as employees’ quality of life at work," emphasises Nicolas Mérigot, Korian France Executive Vice-President.

What is ISO 9001 certification?
With more than one million certificates worldwide, ISO 9001 certification is undoubtedly the most widely used and internationally recognised management system certification. As the most widely used tool for managing a company's organisation and activities, ISO 9001 certification provides a basis for optimising a company's internal operations and controlling its activities.
It demonstrates the company's ability to regularly provide a service that meets its customers’ requirements as well as applicable legal and regulatory requirements, and its commitment to increase customer satisfaction.
Korian France has chosen AFNOR Certification; each country within the Group has chosen its own certification body.

About Korian
Korian, the leading European Care Services Group for elderly and fragile people
www.korian.com

About AFNOR Certification
AFNOR Certification is the activity of the AFNOR group, the leader in France thanks to its certification and assessment services for systems, services, products, and skills. A subsidiary of the AFNOR association, AFNOR Certification offers a local service thanks to 39 agencies on five continents and 14 regional offices in France. It mobilises 1,850 qualified auditors to meet its customers’ needs at nearly 60,000 sites worldwide. AFNOR Certification runs the NF certification system and offers several signs of trustworthiness such as AFAQ certification, CSR Engaged, Diversity and Professional Equality labels. https://certification.afnor.org/