Rural and Remote Organisations
Rural and remote health and community service organisations come in all shapes and sizes, providing a myriad of key services; however, they share the same goal – to care for, support and enhance the well-being of local communities in rural and remote Australia. QIP provides a variety of accreditation offerings for organisations who meet the rural and remote classification under the Rural, Remote and Metropolitan (RRMA), developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
QIP brings together a comprehensive combination of history, expertise, experience and knowledge, cultivated since delivering one of the first national accreditation programs, CHASP, more than 25 years ago. QIP has unique insight into rural and remote health and community service organisations nationwide, allowing us to truly understand the context in which services are provided in these regions of Australia.
Demonstrating our commitment to this sector, we have opened an office in Darwin, currently the only accreditation agency in Australia to do so. A number of our staff, assessors and surveyors have experienced living and working in rural and remote Australia and consequently have an in-depth understanding of the unique and often challenging environment in which our clients operate.
Experienced in supporting rural and remote organisations
At present, approximately 20% of our client organisations are based in rural or remote settings across Australia.
QIP works with organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), rural and remote health and community centres including Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCHOs), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services, and bush nursing centres, and we understand the demands and need for quality rural and remote health and community services. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide real life solutions to enable services to provide the best care and support they can.
With this understanding, and the knowledge that every rural and remote organisation is different, our QIP team is committed to working directly with service providers to provide single or multi-accreditation solutions to best meet quality improvement and organisational needs.
Recognising the importance of placing a focus on clients and consumers first, QIP’s support, process and resource offerings provide rural and remote organisations with a streamlined accreditation experience to ensure their quality journey is a positive one.
In addition to QIP’s accreditation offerings, rural and remote organisations can also benefit from tailored education and training packages and solutions specific to their needs.
Accreditation for rural and remote organisations
Participating in the process of accreditation enables rural and remote health and community service organisations to demonstrate a commitment to continuous quality improvement to not only themselves but the communities they serve. The accreditation process itself ensures organisations engage in activities which strengthen their organisational culture and enhance their own systems and processes, which ultimately results in better meeting the needs of their clients, families and also their own staff.
Accrediting a wide spectrum of organisations and service providers across the rural and remote sector Australia-wide, QIP is proud to work with organisations which include but are not limited to:
- Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services
- Bush Nursing Centres
- Royal Flying Doctor Service
- Community Organisations seeking specific government funding
- Community Support Services
- Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), from small to large
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Support Services
- Aged Care Support Services
- Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Services
- Community Health Services
- Child, Youth and Family Services
- Maternal And Child Health Services and Support
- Disability and Human Support Services,
including NDIS service providers - Domestic and Family Violence Support Services
- Early Childhood Intervention Providers
- Housing and Homelessness Support Services
- Mental Health Services
- Hospitals and health centres
- Organisations looking to support LGBTI Inclusiveness
- Primary Health Networks, and
- Women’s Health Services.
QIP is also a government approved provider of accreditation services under multiple standards and frameworks. These include the Australian Service Excellence Standards (ASES) and Human Services Standards, Victoria.. As a Quality Auditor under the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (the NDIS Commission), QIP supports disability service providers to achieve certification and verification against the NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators (NDIS Practice Standards).
QIP is the owner and exclusive Australian provider of the QIC Health and Community Services Standards and is the exclusive accreditor against the Rainbow Tick Standards.
Part of the AGPAL Group of Companies, QIP’s parent company – AGPAL, accredits a number of rural and remote general practices across all Australian states and territories. Learn more about AGPAL’s accreditation offerings.
Benefits of accreditation
Consumer confidence
Reassures consumers and the local community of an organisation’s commitment to deliver quality-focused services and care.
Reduce business risk
Provides a platform for ongoing review, monitoring and improvement of health services’ systems, processes and culture; this enables risk management and mitigation.
Quality team
Educating and engaging teams in the process of quality improvement can build a culture of quality among staff.
Industry benchmark
Offers confidence to stakeholders of the service delivery provided and assists organisations to meet regulatory requirements for funding incentives.
Quality improvement
Reflects an organisation’s commitment to continuous quality improvements in systems, processes, policies, culture, risk management and staff management.
Enhanced services
Provides opportunities to identify areas for improvement and implement solutions to enhance patient care and service experiences.
How QIP supports organisations
Tailored support
QIP has trained QIP Client Liaison Teams on hand to answer any questions clients may have about their accreditation, certification or verification. With expert knowledge of each of the standards or frameworks, evidence requirements and the self-assessment process, QIP’s Client Liaison Teams provide clients with on-going advice throughout their cycle.
QIP’s accreditation hub
The QIP accreditation hub is an online platform tailored to each client’s individual accreditation timelines and framework requirements. It includes a personalised action plan, a resource library and a number of other features to support clients throughout their accreditation journey.
Access to AccreditationPro
QIP’s online self-assessment software, known as AccreditationPro, streamlines accreditation preparation by helping clients determine their organisation’s compliance with an applicable set of Standards.
Access to online resources and education
QIP’s online Education and Resource Library, provides clients with access to a range of practical, informative and customisable resources to support organisations in complying with the relevant industry Standards.
Regular news and e-newsletters
Stay up-to-date with industry and organisational news, helpful tips and your standards information with QIP communications including periodical e-newsletters advising of any changes to processes, systems, standards or evidence requirements are released.
Highly trained assessment teams
QIP’s Assessors are highly trained and qualified peer assessors who work across the Australian health, community and human services sectors. Our team will share their knowledge and support organisations through the accreditation assessment.
Celebrating the achievement of accreditation
Achieving QIP accreditation takes dedication, team work and a commitment to continuous quality improvement. When organisations achieve their accredited, certificated or verified status, they are provided with their own 'Promotional Toolkit' filled with a number of materials to celebrate and promote this achievement.
The QIP Accredited Symbol is one way consumers and local community can be reassured that an organisation has been recognised for their commitment to delivering a safe and quality-focused service.
Become part of our online community
Join us on social media to celebrate organisation achievements made within the health, community and human services sectors and to be kept up-to-date with the latest industry news and events, including QIP and AGPAL updates.
