News

New QIC Standards launched

On 10 May 2010 QIC's Health and Community Services Standards 6th Edition were launched by Dr Helena Williams, chair of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare's Primary Care Committee. Completion of the standards culminates over 2 years research, consultation and trialling. The 6th Edition marks a departure from QIC's 2 tier (generic plus service specific) standards structure and a move towards a single generic set of standards. QIC moved to this model to simplify and streamline assessment, at a time when multiple sets of standards have become a problem for services in the field.

Introducing the new standards at the launch, QIC Executive Director Steve Einfeld said that the 6th Edition introduced some important changes:

• Separation and clearer scoping of Governance and Management
• A new standard requiring organisations to have an integrated safety and quality system
• A stronger presence for assessment and planning in service provision
• A more explicit requirement for service and clinical governance
• Consolidation of standards to strengthen consumer rights, empowerment and advocacy.

Dr Williams, a general medical practitioner and CEO of General Practice Network South in Adelaide said she especially liked the new standard on Safety and Quality Integration by which organisations are encouraged to have a consistent and accountable organisation-wide approach to safety and quality. "It's an important reminder that fragmented quality is not quality at all", she said. "The 6th Edition also has a strong theme of consumer and community engagement, which is fundamental to effective community health services".

Organisations in the QIC program receive the standards without further charge. Others may obtain the standards via QIC's Publications Order Form. Click here

Interpretive Guides completed

A new set of Interpretive Guides has been produced for QIC's 6th Edition Standards. The Guides define key terms, give examples of evidence that can be used, provide good practice examples, list relevant resources and reference other related standards. They have been written for use by organisations preparing their Quality Journal self assessment in the QIC accreditation program.

There are three Interpretive Guides - for Health and Primary Care Services, Community and Social Services, and for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services. The latter Guide was commissioned by the Australian Department of Health and Ageing's Office of Aboriginal and Islander Health (OATSIH) which has also published it in an attractive design.

The Guides help organisations interpret the standards according to the nature of the service being assessed, and were developed by QIC to make accreditation clearer and more transparent.

Copies of the Interpretive Guides are provided without further charge to organisations in the QIC program, and are not otherwise available.

Forum an outstanding success

On 10 May 2010 the First National Forum on Safety and Quality in Primary and Community Health was held at the Australian Technology Park, Sydney. The Forum brought together over 100 people from all over Australia and New Zealand - from government and NGOs, peak bodies, universities and research institutes, professional and consumer organisations, and quality practitioners.

Radio presenter and conference facilitator Julie McCrossin maintained the highly interactive character of the gathering through interviews, panel sessions and audience participation.

The future of  safety and quality in primary and community health was linked to the the Australian national health reforms, which were explained in some detail by Prof Hal Swerrisen. In other presentations, services, states and consumers outlined programs, evaluations and critiques.

The Forum made a significant contribution to an action and research agenda in primary and community health and participants felt that a bi-annual Conference would be well supported.

Dual accreditation trialled at Aboriginal Health Service

In a consultancy recently completed for the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, QIC set out a framework for two accreditation bodies to use when they are accrediting the same Aboriginal community controlled health service (ACCHS). These services undergo two accreditations: for their general medical practice (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners standards) and their other services and infrastructure (QIC standards). The framework was recently trialled at the Goondir Aboriginal Health Service in South East Queensland. The trial showed that with only a little change in scheduling and some open communication between the review/survey teams, the experience of multiple accreditation can be much less disruptive and more rewarding for the assessed organisation. Pictures QIC considers standards reforms

QIC is considering some important changes to the structure of its standards. The changes involve a move away from the 2 tier towards a single tier system. The current  2 tier approach comprises the Core Standards + Service Specific Standards (see the Publications page on this website for more detail of the current system). The proposed new system involves enhanced Core Standards, supported by a good practice interpretative guide. Under the change organisations would self assess and be externally assessed under one rather than two sets of standards. The proposal aims to simplify accreditation, while not reducing its rigour.

For a summary of the proposal, its rationale, and the results of a polling of participating organisations in early 2008, click here.