Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Support Services
We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of all the lands and waters throughout Australia on which our work takes place. In particular, we acknowledge the Turrbal and Yagara people of the Yagara Nations on whose Country QIP is based and founded. We pay our respects to Elders – past, present and emerging – and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.
Although in recent years progress has been made to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander socio-economic disadvantage and health inequalities across Australia, there is still a long way to go. Contributing significantly to solutions to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and well-being issues is the availability, access to and interconnection of culturally appropriate health and community services. These service providers play an essential role in caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with approaches that educate, engage, impact and improve outcomes for individuals and the overall well-being of the community as a whole.
QIP offers a range of accreditation services to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and community services with continuous quality improvement to enhance support, care and/or service delivery.
“For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, good health is more than just the absence of disease or illness; it is a holistic concept that includes physical, social, emotional, cultural, spiritual and ecological wellbeing, for both the individual and the community. This concept of health emphasises the connectedness between these factors and recognises the impact that social and cultural determinants have on health.” – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Organisations in Focus
Maari Ma Aboriginal Health Corporation
How this multi-accredited Aboriginal Health Service is kicking goals managing their chronic disease strategy.
READ MORECoomealla Health Aboriginal Corporation
A multi-accredited ACCHO, Coomealla Health Aboriginal Corporation was one of the first organisations to achieve QIP accreditation against the QIC Health and Community Services Standards 7th Edition.
READ MORETorres and Cape Hospital and Health Service
Find out how multi-accreditation across multiple sites assure the provision of the highest quality and safest care possible for TCHHS staff and their consumers.
READ MOREAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services accreditation, certification and verification options
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services include a variety of health, care, well-being and support services specifically targeted to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families, throughout Australia and surrounding islands.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services can include but are not limited to:
- Primary clinical services including general practices and primary health centres.
- Community health and well-being services such as dental care, preventative care including immunisation, screening and early intervention, antenatal care, communicable disease control, allied, specialist and social health services, education and training, emotional support, quality of life, spiritual and cultural services.
- Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS), and many more.
For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services, accreditation, certification or verification against various national standards can support funding applications or provides accountability for organisations to commit to a continuous cycle of quality improvement.
Benfits of accreditation
Reduce business risk
Provides ongoing review, monitoring and improvement of systems, processes and culture, enabling risk management and mitigation.
Consumer confidence
Reassures consumers and the local community of an organisation’s commitment to deliver quality-focused services and care.
Quality team
Educates and engages the team in the process of quality improvement that can build a culture of quality among staff.
Industry benchmark
Offers confidence to stakeholders of the service delivery provided, and assists to meet regulatory requirements for funding incentives.
Quality improvement
Reflects a 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.
Accrediting with QIP
QIP understands the essential role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and community service providers play in supporting members of their community. Our accreditation, resource, and personalised support offerings allow service providers to undertake a streamlined accreditation and quality improvement process to focus on enhancing the quality of service delivery, systems, processes, consumer and staff engagement, and individual and community outcomes.
Whether an organisation requires single or multi-framework solutions, our team is committed to supporting teams through the accreditation and quality improvement process to ensure this experience is a positive one.
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.