Annual Report and Accompanying Stand-Alone Reports 2005

Achieving Safety and Quality Improvements in Health Care - Sixth Report to the Australian Health Ministers’ Conference (PDF 1968 KB)

This year’s Annual Report from the Council clearly shows its achievements throughout the life of the Council, and suggests directions for the safety and quality agenda in Australia in the future.

This report showcases the powerful role that consumer engagement can play in the health sector by highlighting some of the achievements in relation to the Council’s work in partnership with consumers. It provides examples of how the Council’s aim to enhance patient safety is achieved by consumers actively participating in their own health care and through their effective participation in policy planning for health services.

This publication reports on achievements and activity being undertaken across Australia to improve clinical quality outcomes and patient safety in health care. Each state and territory showcases some of the extensive work being undertaken and sets out how safety and quality is structured in their locality. The central role of the State Quality Officials Forum (SQOF) in gaining jurisdictions’ uptake of the national safety and quality agenda is explained, through a partnership arrangement between state and territory governments and the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care.

This discussion paper is intended to stimulate debate on how to improve the governance of health care safety and quality in Australia. It illustrates the ideas with some successes and failures drawn from regulatory initiatives and considers emerging approaches to health sector regulation. It draws together research and experience from health and other sectors and begins to formulate an evidence base for choosing between regulatory strategies.

The Framework is a ground breaking document that identifies the skills, knowledge, behaviors and attitudes required by all health care workers in relation to patient safety. It will act as a benchmark for training, educating and assessing health care workers in patient safety and ensure their competency and support in their patient-centered approach to work.

The following suite of resources includes the Preventing falls and harm from falls in older people, best practice guidelines for Australian hospitals and residential aged care facilities and support materials. The guidelines have been designed to inform clinical practice and assist hospitals and residential aged care facilities to develop and implement practices to prevent falls and injuries from falls.

For all Falls Prevention Guidelines in pdf format, please visit the Falls Prevention Guidelines page.

The final report from the Review of Future Governance Arrangements for Safety and Quality in Health Care is now available publicly and is on the Review website at: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/health-sqreview.htm.

See also Joint Communique dated 28 July 2005.