Released 18/04/2018 - Joint media release
The re-accreditation process for Canberra Hospital and Health Services is now underway, with initial feedback identifying a number of improvements that need to be made. ACT Health is immediately prioritising this work to finalise the accreditation process in early July.
Accreditation is an external review process conducted by the Australian Council on Health Care Standards (ACHS), and is a way of making sure that the organisation meets a pre-determined set of criteria or standards. The re‑accreditation process is an opportunity to identify areas of improvement to ensure we continue to deliver high quality and safe health care to the community.
The ACHS conducted an organisation-wide review from 19-23 March, and assessed ACT Health’s implementation of the 10 National Standards. Assessment occurred through provision of evidence, meetings with key staff and site visits across Canberra Hospital and Health Services.
The ACT Government will receive a final report in coming weeks, but initial feedback has identified that of the 209 core criteria, 176 were met, while 33 require further action. ACT Health is taking immediate action to address these criterion.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Meegan Fitzharris and Minister for Mental Health Shane Rattenbury welcomed the robust advice from the ACHS and said ACT Health has advised that Canberra Hospital and Health Services expects to meet all criterion for re-accreditation to be complete in July 2018.
“While I’m concerned about the issues that have been raised, this is the purpose of a robust accreditation process,” said Minister Fitzharris.
“ACT Health was last surveyed by ACHS in May 2015 and was successful in achieving accreditation against the National Standards, and I am confident ACT Health is prioritising this work to ensure re-accreditation in July.
“Improving quality and safety is an ongoing process in the health system and that doesn’t start or end with accreditation. There is significant work underway every day in our hospital that is focussed on quality and patient safety.
“We know that ACT Health staff come to work every day to do a great job and serve the Canberra community. My message to the Canberra community is that they will continue to receive high quality care, and ACT Health is already making significant progress towards meeting all the standards as required.
“Of note to me are the findings of the ACHS that there is a lack of clarity and a policy gap between corporate and clinical governance, and its recommendation to review the governance system. These are precisely the issues that the ACT Health transition team is currently addressing as part of the ACT Health restructure that will be subject to consultation over the coming months.
“This will enable ACT Health to focus on improving operational performance, governance and accountability frameworks to better provide patient-centred healthcare to our growing population.
“Also of note in the ACHS feedback is the recognition of the ACT Health Quality Strategy I launched in March that will further guide important clinical work to ensure ACT Health delivers the highest quality clinical services.
“I want to thank staff for their work through the accreditation process, as well as all they do on a daily basis. Their hard work and dedication to the health and wellbeing of our community is valued greatly by the Canberra community,” said Minister Fitzharris.
Minister Rattenbury said the re-accreditation process would help improve the health system.
“While this feedback is disappointing, we are taking decisive action to improve coordination and integration across the mental health system, responding to many of the issues raised in the accreditation report and will rectify these issues over the coming months,” Minister Rattenbury said.
“The accreditation process is designed to help us improve as a service.
“As I have said previously, our mental health services are led by dedicated and professional staff, but we know there is work to do to improve our systems and processes so that we can ensure patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time,” said Minister Rattenbury.
- Statement ends -
Meegan Fitzharris, MLA | Shane Rattenbury, MLA | Media Releases
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