National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards provide a nationally consistent statement about the level of care consumers can expect from health services.
They are the designed to ensure health services provide high-quality care in Australia.
We developed the Standards in collaboration with the Australian Government, states and territories, private sector providers, clinical experts, patients and carers.
The primary aims of the Standards are to protect the public from harm and to improve the quality of health service provision.
The 8 NSQHS Standards
The NSQHS Standards are comprised of eight standards.
Each of these eight standards contains:
- a description of the standard
- a statement of intent
- a list of criteria that describe the key areas covered by the standard
- explanatory notes on the content of the standard
- item headings for groups of actions in each criterion
- actions that describe what is required to meet the standard
All public and private hospitals, day hospitals and most public dental practices are required by health regulators to be accredited to the NSQHS Standards.
Resources and advisories
Our dedicated NSQHS Standards resource hub provides a complete list of resources to help you implement and understand the NSQHS Standards.
Advisories are formal guidance that provide critical information about standards and accreditation.
Health professionals and assessors are encouraged to stay updated with advisories and resources as they are released.
Visit the NSQHS Standards resource hub
View a complete list of advisories
Third edition engagement hub
We are in the process of revising the NSQHS Standards. This process will take place over many years, to ensure we develop a new edition of the standards that meets the evolving needs of our patients and communities.
In the meantime, please continue using the second edition of the NSQHS Standards.
Visit our third edition engagement hub
Accreditation to the NSQHS Standards
Accreditation is a quality assurance mechanism that tests whether relevant systems are in place to ensure that expected standards of safety and quality are met. Our page on accreditation to national safety and quality standards outlines everything you need to prepare for an accreditation assessment.
Visit our page on accreditation
Actions to support First Nations health
The NSQHS Standards require health services to address six actions that are specific to First Nations people. We have developed a user guide to help you implement these actions and improve the quality of care you provide to First Nations people.
National safety and quality standards orientation courses
We have developed online courses to help people learn about our national safety and quality standards. They are suitable for a range of audiences and are essential to people wishing to become an assessor.
Assessment outcomes data
We publish the outcomes of assessments to the NSQHS Standards as part of our commitment to public reporting. It is important that the public can see how well health services are doing, and where improvements are required. This information is also useful to health professionals who wish to learn more about the performance of the health system.
View NSQHS Standards assessment outcomes data
Request use of the NSQHS Standards logo and icons
Health services may request use of our logo and icons to brand their locally developed resources. Please contact the Safety and Quality Advice Centre to make your request.