A presentation given by Deb Picone, CEO ACSQHC at the CHA Conference The Journey, in October 2012.

1. Implications of the new National Safety & Quality
Standards for Children’s Healthcare Services
Debora Picone
CEO
23 October 2012

2. Do the sick no harm…
It may seem a strange
principle to enunciate as the
very first requirement in a
Hospital that it should do the
sick no harm.
— Florence Nightingale
First sentence of Preface to Notes on Hospitals (1859, 3rd.
Ed.,1863),

3. Lapses in safety…
Have enormous costs, both in terms of the impact on
people’s lives and financially.
For example, it has been reported that:
• Healthcare associated injury and ill health add 13–
16% to hospital costs alone — at least one dollar in
every seven dollars spent on hospital care.

4. Australian Health Ministers
• 2006 – agree to the public release of the
Commission Discussion Paper
• 2008 – endorse model of accreditation (national
coordination of safety and quality accreditation and
the NSQHS Standards)
• 2010 – endorse Australian Health Service Safety
and Quality Accreditation (AHSSQA) Scheme
• June 2011 – final NSQHS Standards endorsed

5. Objectives
• Improve safety and quality for patients using the
National Safety and Quality Health Services
Standards as the focus for action
• Implement coordinated and consistent accreditation
via an Australian Health Services Safety and
Quality Accreditation Scheme

6. The NSQHS Standards
Standard 1 Standard 2
Governance for Safety and Partnering with
Quality in Health Consumers
Service Organisations
Standard 3
Standard 10 Healthcare
Preventing Falls and Associated
Harm from Falls Infections
Standard 9 Standard 4
Recognising and Medication
Responding to Clinical Safety
Deterioration in Acute
Health Care
Standard 5
Standard 8 Patient Identification
Preventing and and Procedure
Managing Pressure Matching
Injuries
Standard 7
Blood and Blood Standard 6
Products Clinical
Handover

7. National Coordination of Accreditation
Health Ministers
Regulators A program of national coordination in ACSQHC
Includes States, Territories and Commonwealth • Develops and maintains standards
• Mandate the Standards • Advise Australian Health Ministers Council on the
and participation in the accreditation scheme scope of health service accreditation
• Approves Accrediting Agencies
• Oversee accreditation program content
• Receives relevant accreditation data
• Receive relevant accreditation data • Liaises with regulators
• Be responsible for an escalating response where • Reports to Health Ministers
the Standards are not met
Reports on assessment
outcome
Health Service Organisations Approved Accrediting Agencies
• Select an approved accrediting agency
• Meet the Standards. • Maintain JASANZ/ISQua accreditation
Assess and
• Provide data on the Standards
Report
• Cooperate on methodology /assessment development

8. Flexible Transition
• There will be a flexible transition during 2013
• The Commission and Jurisdictions will support
Health Service Organisations and Accrediting
Agencies in the transition to the AHSSQA

9. Performance Requirements – proportions of core
actions to be met
• Health services must meet 100% core actions
• Health Services have 90 days after receipt of report
to rectify not met actions before determination made
• In the first 12 months of the scheme the period will be
extended to 120 days
• Responsibility of jurisdictions for an escalating
response where standard not met

10. Challenges
• Smaller hospitals
• Standards 2, 3 and 6
• Understanding the process

11. Challenges
2. Partnering with Consumers
3. Preventing and Controlling Healthcare Associated
Infections
•Hand washing
•AMS
•Cleaning, disinfection
6. Clinical Handover

12. Assessment Process
• AHSSQA commences 1 Jan 2013
• Health service organisations required to meet NSQHSS at
first full accreditation after 1 Jan 2013
• Health service organisations are likely to undergo mid-cycle
assessment before being due for organisation wide
assessment
• Standards to be used for mid-cycle assessment will include
as a minimum:
1. Recommendations from past assessment processes
2. Organisations quality improvement plan
3. Standards 1, 2 and 3

13. Support Arrangements
To support health services in the transition to the AHSSQA
Scheme, a number of additional services and resources are being
developed by the Commission:
• Flexible accreditation arrangements for 2013
• Establishment of an Advice Centre for the NSQHS Standards
• Establishment of health service support networks
• Safety and Quality Guides and Accreditation Workbooks

14. ACSQHC Web site

15. Advice Centre

16. Accreditation Workbooks

17. Safety and Quality Improvement Guides

18. Summary
• Improve safety
• Mandatory
• Partnership
• Flexible transition
• Greater focus on clinical issues