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24 March 2023
Short notice accreditation assessments from 1 July 2023
From 1 July 2023, short notice assessments will commence for all health service organisations in the acute care sector where licencing requires accreditation to the NSQHS Standards.
Find out more information and read our fact sheet.
Cultural safety training for assessors
From 1 July 2023, all assessors are required to complete new face-to-face cultural safety training, including those who previously completed the CORE Foundation Course.
The training – Assessing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander actions in the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards – has been developed specifically for assessors and replaces the CORE Foundation Course.
Read our Advisory AS22/04: Cultural Safety Training for Assessors.
New and updated resources
Assessments to the Primary and Community Healthcare Standards commence
From 1 May 2023, healthcare services seeking accreditation to the Primary and Community Healthcare Standards may be formally assessed by an approved accrediting agency.
Accreditation to these standards is voluntary. In some circumstances, a healthcare service may be required to be accredited to the standards to satisfy contractual, regulatory or licensing requirements.
See our supporting materials on how assessments are conducted, rules and policies that apply, including the list of approved agencies.
Healthcare services can also access direct support through the Safety and Quality Advice Centre.
Guide for Primary and Community Healthcare Standards
The Commission is in the final stages of developing a new guide to support healthcare services implementing the Primary and Community Healthcare Standards. The guide is being updated to reflect commentary provided during consultation in February. Additional feedback can be shared by email.
Updated AHSSQA Scheme policy approval
The Commission has updated the policy for approval to conduct assessments as an accrediting agency under the Australian Health Service Safety and Quality Accreditation (AHSSQA) Scheme. It now includes the standard conditions to conduct assessments using the National Clinical Trials Governance Framework, found in Appendix 5.
National Pathology Accreditation Scheme
New editions of the National Pathology Standards have been released, including:
- Requirements for the packaging and transport of pathology specimens and associated materials (Fifth Edition)
- Requirements for information communication and reporting (Fifth Edition)
- Requirements for medical testing for human genetic variation (Third Edition)
- Requirements for transfusion laboratory practice (Fifth Edition)
Subscribe to receive news and updates on the pathology standards, including consultation drafts.
Extended timeframes for advisories
Timeframes for compliance have been extended for the following advisories:
- Advisory AS18/14: Comprehensive Care Standard: Screening and assessment for risk of harm
- Advisory AS18/15: Comprehensive Care Standard: Developing the comprehensive care plan
- NSQHS Standards Advisory AS18/07: Reprocessing of reusable medical devices in health service organisations
- NSQHS Standards Advisory AS18/11: Implementing systems that can provide clinical information into the My Health Record system.
More information
Get in touch with the Safety and Quality Advice Centre by emailing AdviceCentre@safetyandquality.gov.au or complete the contact form.
