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Health Service Accreditation

Establishing Quality Health Standards (EQHS) Newsletter No.8

This page provides links to each of the EQHS newsletters along with the latest edition No.8

PDF versions: Establishing Quality Health Standards (EQHS) Newsletter 8 January 2011 - June 2011 (PDF 520 KB)

Previous Newsletters:

Edition 4 - October 2009
Edition 5 - February 2010
Edition 6 - March 2010 to June 2010
Edition 7 - July 2010 to December 2010

Welcome…

Welcome to the eighth EQHS Newsletter. In this edition, we want to congratulate everyone involved in EQHS on their achievements over the last four years.

The last four years have been rewarding for all involved. In the 2011-12 Federal Budget, the Government announced the continuation of the budget measure. We have included some detail about the continuation of EQHS below.

We look forward to working with you over the next four years.
From the OATSIH Quality and Accreditation Team (Q&A)

EQHS Continues

The announcement of the 2011-12 Federal Budget has brought to light very exciting news for the future of Establishing Quality Health Standards (EQHS) with $35 million being allocated for the continuation of the EQHS measure over the next four years. The funding will be provided to assist eligible Indigenous health organisations to achieve first-time organisational and/or clinical accreditation together with support for the maintenance of organisational accreditation.

Support for eligible Indigenous health organisations under the EQHS-Continuation measure will vary depending on the specific requirements of individual organisations and will include the following:

• gap assessments conducted by a relevant gap assessing agency prior to eligible organisations commencing formal accreditation;
• one-on-one expert facilitator support and advice;
• accreditation support funding for first time accreditation to address essential accreditation requirements;
• local support funding to NACCHO, the Affiliates, and other relevant peak bodies to provide support to organisations, and promote accreditation in the Indigenous health sector;
• funding of up to $20,000 per annum to eligible organisations that achieve, or have already achieved organisational accreditation to maintain their accreditation; and
• support activities for developing resources, and supporting assessments and workshops to assist with achieving accreditation.

The EQHS-Continuation measure will build on the major achievements from the four years of implementation of the EQHS 2007-08 Budget measure.

The Quality and Accreditation section (Q&A) would like to thank everyone who provided input into the development of EQHS and EQHS-Continuation. Over the coming months, we will be providing plenty of information on EQHS-Continuation to the sector. In the meantime, the OATSIH Accreditation Information Line (1800 723 676) is available for any questions regarding EQHS-Continuation.

Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Co-operative Ltd - going for dual accreditation!

Awabakal Aboriginal Medical Service is a community controlled medical service which aims to provide general practice care to families and individuals, encompassing treatment of illness, preventative health care, health education and support for social and emotional wellbeing. Awabakal not only provides comprehensive services at Newcastle but also conducts outreach clinics at Karuah, Mindaribba, Singleton and Toronto covering a vast area from Lake Macquarie in the south, heading north to the Upper Hunter some 217kms, then east from Port Stephens across 240kms west to the Merriwa district.

Awabakal first became accredited under the RACGP standards in 2002 through GP Accreditation Plus. When we re-visited accreditation in 2009, we decided that we wanted to achieve best practice standards across the health service. We were assisted in this by the services offered by our OATSIH accreditation facilitator. Following our recent site visit in April 2011, we were commended by GP Accreditation Plus for having no non compliances.

Surveyors observed that “staff of the Practice are keen and enthusiastic, and that their caring manner of performing their duties makes patients feel welcome”. The Co-Surveyor was very impressed with the way our new Policies and Procedures Manual was presented, and commented that it was one of the best manuals she had seen. This has been a great achievement for all of the staff.

One of the outstanding features of our quality improvement program was the support and commitment from all staff to the process. It was essential that staff were a part of the whole process especially as we had updated and changed our policies and procedures to such an extent, that it was important that all staff had ownership over the changes implemented. This has been achieved and the experience, whilst being hard work, has been extremely positive. The funding grants made available from the EQHS OATSIH process assisted us in achieving our goals of raising our standards to best practice.

Our experience of implementing a quality improvement system has been so positive that we have decided to proceed to implementing the Quality Improvement Council Standards (QIC) and achieve accreditation with QMS. This again will require a lot of commitment and dedication from staff as this will be a longer journey than the RACGP accreditation has been. We are very fortunate that our CEO and Board of Directors are committed to having a service consistent with best practice standards.

We are very proud of our achievements at Awabakal Aboriginal Medical Service and continue to strive for excellence in health care for all people.
Elizabeth Harwood, Medical Services Manager

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards for General Practice Interpretive Guide Revision

Following the successful introduction in May 2009 of the Interpretive Guide for the RACGP Standards for General Practice 3rd edition, OATSIH has contracted the RACGP to revise the current edition to align with the 4th edition Standards.

The RACGP launched the 4th edition of the Standards for General Practice in October 2010. The 4th edition consists of several changes including three fewer criteria and 38 fewer indicators. The Standards for General Practice (4th edition) will become fully operational on 1 November 2011. It is our aim to have the revised Interpretive Guide completed and distributed to the sector by mid 2012. The first edition of the Interpretive Guide was well received by the sector with nearly 1000 copies already distributed. If you would like to download a free electronic copy of the current Interpretive Guide or other helpful accreditation resources, please visit: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/accreditationresources

10 minutes with David Baird, CEO, Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service

Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service is a community based health organisation located in Yarrabah, 45km south east of Cairns, which was established as a result of community consultations in 1997. Its vision is to provide and maintain the health and well being of all people in the community of Yarrabah and surrounding areas by providing a community based and community controlled Aboriginal Health Service in a culturally sensitive manner.

The core business for Gurriny Yealamucka is to provide a culturally sensitive multipurpose primary health care service and to ensure effective coordination of health services in Yarrabah in partnership with Queensland Health, Yarrabah Community Council and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. The primary focus is on preventative health care including strategies that target early intervention.

Gurriny Yealamucka is currently on its way to achieving accreditation under the ISO framework and have recently achieved stage one audit success. Q&A chatted with David Baird, CEO of Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service about the organisations experiences of its accreditation journey.

Why do you believe accreditation is important within the Aboriginal Health Sector?

Accreditation is a tool which can improve all aspects of an organisation, from infrastructure, process and policy, as well as staff performance. This results in a higher quality of service being delivered to the community. Not only does it improve business practices and standards, accreditation also ensures your business is legitimate and credible, which is all round a better result for the organisation and the community.

What inspired you to begin the accreditation process?

Having worked in community controlled health organisations for 16 years, it is evident that budget constraints are the main factors which affect the delivery of quality service. What made accreditation attractive to our organisation was the ability to access qualified staff, the ability to facilitate community development as well as getting the community to be responsive. Although there is plenty of funding which comes into areas of the community, there is not a whole lot of coordination of services. Accreditation improves the position and credibility of an organisation, which allows us to have a voice among government and peak bodies and gives us the opportunity to be involved in negotiations which aim to bridge the gaps within the sector.

What is the biggest challenge organisations face when undergoing the accreditation process and how do you overcome these challenges?

The biggest challenge faced so far by my organisation is definitely dealing with the change which comes with implementing the changes which are required under the accreditation standards. This can be especially difficult for myself and staff as we are so used to doing things a certain way. For me personally at a planning and strategic level, I feel that I have to structure and plan my days and weeks a little better whilst staff members need to deal with the changes which affect their day to day duties. In order to help staff overcome these changes, it is important to get them thinking about accreditation and getting them to understand the reasons and benefits behind what they are doing differently.

How do you keep your staff focused and motivated to achieve accreditation?

The key to keeping staff focused and motivated to achieve accreditation is to lead by example. Although different managers have responsibility for their individual units, it is still important to ensure that communication is present between different units, and staff at all levels are across and aware of all accreditation issues and changes which are occurring within the organisation. Basically, in order to succeed, accreditation needs to be addressed collectively by all employees of the organisation.

What type of accreditation support have you received under the EQHS program and what has it allowed you to do/acquire for your organisation?

Under the EQHS program, we have received facilitation support from Unna Liddy, which has proved to be very helpful in terms of motivating staff and getting us on track towards accreditation. Her help has allowed us to achieve stage one audit success under the ISO framework.

Lastly, do you have any advice for other organisations that are undergoing or considering undergoing the accreditation process?

Basically you need to be in the right sort of mind frame from the start throughout the whole process. It is important to take it seriously and give it strong value within your organisation. Don’t just look at it like it’s a government initiative, instead use it to make an improvement within your organisation and maintain good business standards and practice. Welcome it, support it and embed it into your business.

Since this interview, Gurriny Yealamucka Health service became accredited under the ISO framework. Congratulations to all the staff at Gurriny Yealamucka!

Update - WANADA Alcohol and Other Drugs Standards

The WA Network of Alcohol and Other Drug Agencies (WANADA) has received funding from the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH) and the WA Drug and Alcohol Office (DAO) to further develop the Western Australian Alcohol and Other Drug Sector Quality Framework nationally recognised Accreditation Framework.

Upon completion, the Accreditation Framework is intended to provide a sector-specific, culturally secure alternative accreditation process for all AOD services across Australia. A draft Standard and an example Interpretive Guide have been developed and can be accessed on the WANADA website (www.wanada.org.au).

WANADA has been seeking feedback from organisations and individuals who deliver services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, or organisations and individuals who deliver services in the AOD sector on the following consultation questions:

• Are there criteria included in the draft Standard which are difficult to apply to particular service types?
• Is the language used in the draft Standard for Culturally Secure Practice (Alcohol and Other Drug Sector appropriate and relevant to demonstrate culturally secure practice in the AOD sector?
• Are there any gaps or duplication in the requirements of the draft Standard for Culturally Secure Practice (Alcohol and Other Drugs Sector)?

Consultation workshops have been now been held in most states and territories in partnership with the relevant state/territory AOD Peak Body and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).

WANADA is also seeking expressions of interest from agencies interested in participating in a fully funded pilot of the Standard and the accreditation process. Expression of Interest forms can be downloaded from the WANADA website. Further information about the consultations and progress of the project will be made available via the WANADA website.

Q&A Section Contacts

Team Responsibilities	Team Contacts	Phone
Director	Sunita Dhindsa	02 6289 7569
Team Leader National Quality Network Activities Local Accreditation Support (Affiliates) Facilitators Accreditation Support Grants	Nick Jones Claire Clack Giselle De Ruyter Jess Dalla	02 6289 3641 02 6289 3932 02 6289 4667 02 6289 2335
Team Leader EQHS Policy Continuous Quality Improvement & accreditation policy State & Territory Government Liaison National Quality Network	Jenny Aitchison Aurysia Hii Collin Vine Brian Whitton David Retnam	02 6289 1744 02 6289 4423 02 6289 3388 02 6289 8918 02 6289 1784

Congratulations!

Since our last newsletter to you in December 2010, the following organisations have achieved accreditation with support provided under EQHS.

Bendigo District Aboriginal Co-operative (VIC)

QIC - New Accreditation

Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation (NSW)

RACGP - New Accreditation

Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative (VIC)

RACGP - New Accreditation

Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Co-operative (NSW)

RACGP - Re-accreditation

Wuchopperen Health Service (QLD)

ISO 9001 QMS Requirements - New accreditation

Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation Medical Centre (QLD)

ISO 9001 QMS Requirements - New Accreditation

Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VIC)

ISO 9001 QMS Requirements - New Accreditation

Mutitjulu Community Health Service (NT)

RACGP - Re-accreditation

Ampilatawatja Health Centre Aboriginal Corporation (NT)

RACGP - Re-accreditation

Urapuntja Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (NT)

RACGP - Re-accreditation

Mpwelarre Health Aboriginal Corporation (NT)

RACGP – New Accreditation

Pintubi Homelands Health Service (NT)

RACGP - Re-accreditation

Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service (QLD)

ISO 9001 QMS Requirements - New accreditation

Gindaja Treatment and Healing Indigenous Corporation (QLD)

ISO 9001 QMS Requirements - New accreditation

Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Centre (NSW)

RACGP – New Accreditation

If you are interested in participating in accreditation and/or would like to find out more about EQHS, please contact OATSIH by email: OATSIHqualityenquiries@health.gov.au or phone: 1800 723 676