STANDARDS
NSQHS Standards
New edition drives better, safer care for patients Margaret Banks*
The second edition of the NSQHS Standards takes into account new evidence and feedback from the health sector on the first edition, resulting in a set of standards that is simplified, reduces duplication, has an increased clinical focus and addresses important clinical gaps.
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he primary aims of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS Standards) are to protect the public from harm and to improve the quality of health service provision. The NSQHS Standards were developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care in partnership with the Australian, state and territory governments, the private sector, clinicians, patients and carers.
• Governance for safety and quality in health service organisations. • Partnering with consumers. • Preventing and controlling healthcareassociated infections. • Medication safety.
In 2011, Australian health ministers mandated that the NSQHS Standards would be implemented in all Australian hospitals and day procedure centres. As of 30 June 2017, 1319 hospitals and day procedure centres have been assessed to the NSQHS Standards.
• Patient identification and procedurematching.
To ensure that the NSQHS Standards remain current and consistent with best practice and continue to address areas of priority for safety and quality in health care, the commission has updated them, releasing the second edition in November 2017.
• Recognising and responding to clinical deterioration in acute health care.
The second edition of the NSQHS Standards builds on the substantial achievements of the first edition and will drive better, safer care for patients and consumers in Australia. The second edition has taken into account new evidence and feedback from across the health sector on how to improve on the first edition. This has resulted in a set of standards that is simplified, reduces duplication, has an increased clinical focus and addresses important clinical gaps.
The first edition
The first edition of the NSQHS Standards provides clinical and organisational risk 44
mitigation strategies designed to reduce the occurrence of high-prevalence adverse events. The areas covered are:
THE AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL + HEALTHCARE BULLETIN
SUMMER 2018
• Clinical handover. • Blood and blood products. • Preventing and managing pressure injuries.
• Preventing falls and harm from falls. To meet the NSQHS Standards, health service organisations must put in place safety and quality systems that improve the safety and quality of care provided to patients and consumers. In fact, ensuring these systems exist is the purpose of the NSQHS Standards. The NSQHS Standards direct safety and quality outcomes that must be achieved, but allow flexibility for health service organisations to implement actions in a way that suits their specific requirements, including their patients’ risks and the complexity of the services that they provide.
Impact of the first edition
Key improvements associated with implementation of the NSQHS Standards (first edition) include:
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