Cosmetic Medical and Surgical Facilities
To reassure patients of the safe and quality focused care delivered by cosmetic medical and surgical facilities across Australia, QIP provides cosmetic medical and surgical facilities with an accreditation program assessed against the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (second edition).
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (the Commission) developed the NSQHS Standards to improve the quality of health care delivered in Australia, and to provide a consistent statement about the level of care consumers can expect from health services. The NSQHS Standards (second edition) came into effect in January 2019.
Accreditation with QIP against the NSQHS Standards supports cosmetic medical and surgical facilities to mitigate risk, provide credible assurance to consumers about their high-quality care and safety processes, support improvements across clinical governance, consumer engagement, comprehensive care, medication safety, healthcare-associated infections and blood management.
It is anticipated that accreditation against the NSQHS Standards will become the accepted framework for cosmetic medical and surgical facilities across all Australian states and territories.
QIP is dedicated to supporting cosmetic medical practices to achieve better outcomes for their patients and staff through effective risk management, and safety and quality systems.
Download QIP's Cosmetic and Medical Services brochure here
Benefits of accreditation
Consumer confidence
Reassures patients and the local community of a health services’ commitment to deliver quality-focused services and care.
Reduce business risk
Allows for ongoing review, monitoring & improvement of systems, processes & culture; enabling risk management & mitigation.
Quality team
Educating and engaging a health service’s team in the process of quality improvement can build a culture of quality among staff.
Industry benchmark
Offers confidence to patients of the service delivery and care provided and can assist health services to meet regulatory requirements for funding incentives.
Quality improvement
Reflects a health service’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.
Accreditation for cosmetic medical and surgical facilities
In 2016 the Private Health Facilities Regulation of New South Wales (NSW) was amended to add cosmetic surgery in the prescribed classes of health services.
As of March 2017, all NSW cosmetic medical and surgical facilities undertaking certain cosmetic surgical procedures must be licensed. As part of these changes, the Commission has confirmed that along with applying for a licence, cosmetic medical and surgical facilities in NSW will need to be working towards accreditation against the NSQHS Standards.
Refer to the NSW Government Health webpage to see the regulations and meanings of cosmetic surgery, the certain procedures and anesthesia.
Whilst at present accreditation against the NSQHS Standards is not mandatory in all Australian states for cosmetic medical and surgical facilities, having a practice accredited against the Standards demonstrates a commitment to patient safety and high-quality care.
Patients and consumers are becoming increasingly aware as to which health facilities have taken additional steps to achieve accreditation. With this knowledge, patients are able to make informed decisions about attending accredited or non-accredited cosmetic medical and surgical facilities.
Once accredited cosmetic medical practices are able to promote their status of accreditation with the support of professional marketing material provided by QIP.
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.
