Accreditation

When you or someone you care for visits NMHS for a hospital or day procedure service, you expect to receive care that is safe. In Australia, all public and private hospitals, day procedure services and most public dental practices must be accredited.

Accredited health service organisations have demonstrated through an independent review that the organisation has implemented the safety and quality systems necessary to comply with relevant standards and ensure safe care.

The National Safety and Quality in Health Service (NSQHS) Standards define the elements of high-quality health care, continuous improvement and service delivery all Australian Health Services must achieve.

Achievement of these standards is monitored and assessed by independent surveyors and for NMHS this is from the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) who visit the health service at least every three years.

How do NMHS hospitals become accredited?

To become accredited, NMHS hospitals and services must:

  • Implement actions in the NSQHS Standards in their organisation
  • Routinely conduct self-assessment process to determine if each of the actions in the NSQHS Standards are being met
  • Participate in an on-site assessment conducted by an independent accrediting agency, approved by the Commission
  • Takes steps to address shortcomings in cases where the accrediting agency has found actions related to specific NSQHS Standards that have not been met.

When NMHS organisations are assessed for Accreditation and are successful, they receive a certificate or accreditation award from the ACHS that states they have been assessed against the NSQHS Standards. This certificate is often displayed in visible areas to assure patients, consumers and carers that we provide safe and high-quality services.

When was NMHS last accredited

  • Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital – September 2019
  • Osborne Park Hospital – April 2017 *
  • Women and Newborn Health Service – March 2018
  • Mental Health – August 2018
  • Public Health – November 2019
  • Dental Services – March 2018

*Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (ACSQHC) has stopped on-site assessments due to the COVID-19 pandemic and made provisions for health services to maintain accreditation status until assessments can recommence.

National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards logo

What are the NSQHS Standards?

The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards were developed by the Commission in collaboration with the Australian Government, state and territories, the private sector, clinical experts, patients and carers. The primary aims of the NSQHS Standards are to protect the public from harm and to improve the quality of health care provision. They provide a quality assurance mechanism that tests whether relevant systems are in place to ensure expected standards of safety and quality are met.

The NSQHS Standards describe the level of care you should expect to receive from a health service organisation, in areas that affect the safety and quality of care, and where there is good evidence of how to provide better care.

There are eight NSQHS Standards

Standard 1 Clinical Governance Clinical Governance, which aims to ensure that there are systems in place within health service organisations to maintain and improve the reliability, safety and quality of health care.
Standard 2 Partnering with Consumers Partnering with Consumers, which aims to ensure that consumers are partners in the design, delivery and evaluation of healthcare systems and services, and that consumers carers and/or their family are supported to be partners in their own care.
Standard 3 Healthcare Associated Infection Preventing and Controlling Healthcare-Associated Infection, which aims to reduce the risk of patients getting preventable healthcare-associated infections, manage infections effectively if they occur, and limit the development of antimicrobial resistance through the appropriate prescribing and use of antimicrobials.
Standard 4 Medication Safety Medication Safety, which aims to ensure that clinicians safely prescribe, dispense and administer appropriate medicines, and monitor medicine use. It also aims to ensure that consumers are informed about medicines, and understand their own medicine needs and risks.
Standard 5 Comprehensive Care Comprehensive Care, which aims to ensure that consumers receive comprehensive health care that meets their individual needs, and that considers the impact of their health issues on their life and wellbeing. It also aims to ensure that risks to patients during health care are prevented and managed through targeted strategies.
Standard 6 Communicating for Safety Communicating for Safety, which aims to ensure that there is effective communication between patients, carers and families, multidisciplinary teams and clinicians, and across the health service organisation, to support continuous, coordinated and safe care for patients.
Standard 7 Blood Management Blood Management, which aims to ensure that patients’ own blood is safely and appropriately managed, and that any blood and blood products that patients receive are safe and appropriate.
Standard 8 Recognising and Responding to Acute Deterioration Recognising and Responding to Acute Deterioration, which aims to ensure that acute deterioration in a patient’s physical, mental or cognitive condition is recognised promptly and appropriate action is taken.
Last Updated: 24/03/2021