Media Releases and Communiques
Australian Health Ministers agree to leading role in health care safety and quality
Australia's Health Ministers have agreed to play a leading role in implementing recommendations of the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) in its third report, Safety through Action.
19 July 2002
Communique
Australian Health Ministers agree to leading role in health care safety and quality
Australia's Health Ministers agreed today to play a leading role in implementing recommendations of the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) in its third report, Safety through Action.
Presenting its report to the Australian Health Ministers conference in Darwin, the Council outlined the past year's achievements in improving the quality and safety of health care in Australia, and recommended further measures to build on past efforts.
Ministers congratulated the Council on a year of outstanding effort, noting that the breadth and complexity of the health care system meant fundamental changes to the systems of patient care, not quick fixes, were needed.
All States and Territories would play a significant role in implementing agreed national actions for the coming year, including measures to:
- reduce patient harm associated with medication use;
- coordinate national action to learn from serious adverse events; and
- develop national standards to support more open disclosure to patients and their carers.
As in the previous year, the Ministers agreed that the Council's report would be made available to the public.
Further information: Information on the Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care, including a copy of the third report, Safety through Action, is available at www.safetyandquality.org
Media Contact: Professor Bruce Barraclough, Chair
Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care 0412 33 0974
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