Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to human health and patient safety. Hundreds of people in Australia die each year as a result of AMR.
From 1 January 2023, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) became the custodian of a range of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) functions, expanding our role in QUM stewardship. This follows the redesign of the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology (QUDTP) Program outlined in the 2022–23 Federal Budget.
Status updates for each function can be found below.
In 2016, all Health Ministers recognised that, while states and territories had worked to improve the environment for clinical trials, issues of fragmentation and inefficiency remained that impacted on Australia’s attractiveness as a preferred location for clinical trials.
Accreditation provides assurance to the community that a healthcare service meets expected standards for safety and quality. It is a formal program in which trained independent reviewers assess a healthcare service’s evidence of implementation of the National Clinical Trials Governance Framework.
The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards support the rights of people with intellectual disability to equitable health care. People with intellectual disability experience significant barriers in accessing safe and quality care evident through a higher mortality rate, increased incidence of preventable illness and more frequent hospital admissions.
In this section, you will find guidance and resources for implementation of the NSQHS Standards, to support healthcare rights and provision of inclusive health care.
These frequently asked questions provide background on implementation of the National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards).
The Commission has drafted the Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resilience Healthcare Module as a framework of actions that health services can use to ensure their services are improving the safety and quality of care while addressing the health impacts of climate change and healthcare’s contribution to climate change.
Accreditation provides assurances that a digital mental health service provider meets expected standards for safety and quality. Trained and independent reviewers assess a service provider’s evidence of implementation of the National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards.
Developing and using shared decision making tools can help clinicians to implement shared decision making in clinical practice.
Being actively involved in your health care and working in partnership with your healthcare providers can help ensure that you get the care that is right for you.
Identifying and setting goals of care is an important aspect of shared decision making for consumers, clinicians and health service organisations.
Effective clinical communication with both consumers and colleagues is essential for a collaborative, shared decision making approach to health care.
These case studies highlight the person-centred approaches and strategies used by other Australian and international healthcare organisations, to assist other organisations working to embed person-centred care.
Person-centred care must recognise and respect individual needs, beliefs and culture. Understanding the diversity of consumers seen in your organisation can help you design systems that support staff to better meet their needs.
The principles of person-centred care can help to support patient safety. The communication, culture and systems within healthcare organisations all play a role in fostering patient safety.