Dental Practices – Public and Specialist Services
For a public or specialist dental service, practice or clinic, achieving accreditation demonstrates a commitment to safety, quality and continuous quality improvement within the service environment. The accreditation process checks and ensures that there are systems and processes implemented to improve the safety and quality of care for all clients and patients.
Public Dental Services, Practices and Clinics
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) specifies that all public dental services, practices and clinics must be accredited against the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards as part of the Australian Health Service Safety and Quality Accreditation (AHSSQA) Scheme.
Public and specialist dental services are currently accrediting to the second edition of the NSQHS Standards, which came into effect on 1 January 2019.
QIP is an approved accreditation provider under the AHSSQA Scheme and dedicated to supporting dental practices throughout their accreditation and quality improvement journey.
Specialist Dental and Oral Health Facilities
Specialist dental and oral health facilities include orthodontics, prosthodontics, endodontics, and other specialised oral health services. Accreditation is for a whole practice or facility, and not an individual. While accreditation for these services, against the NSQHS Standards, is not mandatory, it reassures patients and consumers that specialist dental and oral health facilities are adhering to industry regulations and guidelines while committing to quality improvement, patient safety and quality care.
Facilities participating in Specialist Dental Accreditation receive support from both ADA and QIP, and with access to streamlined processes and useful resources, allocation of the time and effort required to achieve accreditation can be optimised.
Accredited specialist dental and oral facilities establish a competitive advantage over non-accredited competitors by promoting the quality and safety of services to patients and the local community.
A quality approach to accreditation with QIP
QIP’s support systems and assessment processes allow public and specialist dental services to use accreditation as a mechanism to drive continuous quality improvement to enhance their levels of high-quality patient care and safety. Our team is available to guide public and specialist dental services through the NSQHS Standards and evidence requirements to ensure their accreditation experience is a positive one.
QIP accreditation supports public and specialist dental services to reassure patients of their high levels of safety, quality of care and service provision while adhering to national minimum benchmarks.
Not a public or specialist dental practice? Find out more about private dental practice accreditation
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.
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.
