New primary and community healthcare standards launched

The Primary and Community Healthcare Standards were recently launched, introducing Australia’s first nationally consistent framework for safety and quality in primary and community care.

The National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare Standards (Primary and Community Healthcare Standards or PCHS) have been developed to protect primary and community healthcare consumers from harm and improve the quality of care that consumers receive when visiting these organisations.

Launched by the Minister of Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, the new framework will apply to a wide variety of services including dental practices, allied health services, skin clinics, and community health organisations.

The Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s (the Commission) Chief Medical Officer, Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan, says, “The National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare Standards will be a game changer for the health sector in Australia, by giving practitioners the tools to be even better.”

“In time, Australians will have the confidence that when they visit a primary or community healthcare service accredited to the standards, they are receiving safe and high-quality health care – no matter the type of health service they are using or where they access it,” she said.

The new primary and community healthcare standards consist of three key standards: Clinical Governance Standard, Partnering with Consumers Standard, and Clinical Safety Standard.

Initially, 18-month provisional accreditation will be available to eligible organisations which will assess against a subset of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS Standards).

Accreditation against the new Standards will be available from mid-2022.

Find out more about the new Primary and Community Healthcare Standards, check your organisation’s eligibility or contact our team for more information.