The updated guidance for public and private health services and clinicians strengthens the process for credentialing, recredentialing and defining scope of clinical practice.
It promotes a risk-based approach for identifying which clinicians should be credentialed. It also describes systems and processes to ensure that clinicians have the necessary qualifications and expertise to deliver high-quality care.
The guidance complements the new National Model for Clinical Governance, which will be released shortly, and supports implementation of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards Clinical Governance Standard.
The guidance has been informed by input from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, National Boards, colleges and specialty societies, states and territories and private health service provider organisations.
What does this mean for health services?
Health services are encouraged to use the guidance to review and strengthen their risk management systems to protect patients and support clinicians to deliver high-quality care consistent with their training and competence, and with best practice models of care.
Implementation of effective processes for credentialing builds community trust in clinicians and health services to deliver high-quality health care.
The guidance forms part of the Commission’s program of work to enable high-quality and integrated clinical practice as part of clinical governance.
More information
Visit our website or email clinicalgovernance@safetyandquality.gov.au.