ACHSNEWS The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards

The official newsletter from ACHS to communicate to all member organisations and our stakeholders

ACHSNEWS

See Inside For: ACHS Improvement Academy 2017 Congress ACHSI Update EQuIP6

No. 57 Summer 2017

Short Notice Accreditation Program (SNAP)

In July 2015, Wide Bay HHS and Metro South HHS,

Queensland approached the ACHS to commence

discussions in relation to progressing a model of short

notice accreditation survey. The goal was to ensure

quality standards are embedded into the day-to-day

operational responsibility of every employee within the

respective services.

On the back of previous research undertaken by

Greenfield et al (2011), consideration was given to both

the objective and methodology. The results of the 2011

research indicated that short notice surveys may result in

more organisations not reaching the accreditation

threshold as compared with previous surveys.

Organisations were judged to have achieved less

successful performance against clinical standards by the

short notice surveys than the advanced notification

surveys. There was support for short notice surveys to

be adopted but it was also recognised that the overall

value and worth still needed to be proved.

With the approval of the Australian Commission on

Safety and Quality in Health Care and the Queensland

Department of Health, the commencement of Short

Notice Surveys will begin at both Wide Bay and Metro

South HHS in 2017.

Organisations worldwide are constantly reviewing the

benefits of, and exploring better models of, accreditation.

The work we are going to be doing with these health

services reflects ACHS’s leadership in shifting traditional

thinking for assessments against accreditation

standards. It introduces the concept of continual

readiness and quality improvement rather than have an

accreditation process that often resembles an ‘event

management’ approach.

Targeting Zero

The ACHS appreciated the opportunity to talk to

Professor Stephen Duckett in the review of hospital

safety and quality assurance in Victoria, published in late

2016.

The report has provided opportunity for many to reflect

on performance and accountabilities for the safety and

quality of healthcare. And, for ACHS there are certainly

lessons to be learnt, particularly if we look at statements

such as ‘what the auditors see is what the hospitals

choose to show them’ and ‘hospitals prepare for

accreditation as if things need to be different for the days

the surveyors are visiting’.

There will always be mixed opinions and inconsistent

research findings regarding the impact of accreditation.

To objectively assess the impact of accreditation and

ensure such statements are evidence-based and not

randomly selected subjective comments, it would be

necessary to evaluate the quality and safety

performance of systems / sectors that have not had any

form of accreditation or regulation in place.

It was agreed following the ACHS Coordinators’

Development Day held in Melbourne 14th February 2017

that ACHS should respond. Particularly to the subjective

ACHSNEWS 2

One of the perennial questions that is asked of ACHS is

– what makes a good surveyor?

There are many aspects to the personal and practical

skills required of surveyors, including being personable,

so that ACHS is represented by well qualified and

informed surveyors.

ACHS has had years of practice in the art of the selection

process for our surveyor workforce, ensuring our

surveyors have senior managerial experience in a health

setting, as well as an excellent understanding of

accepted industry standards and best practice.

“There has been an ongoing effort over the last three

years in particular, to reaffirm what it is we are looking for

in our surveyor workforce, and how best to ensure that

ACHS achieves a great outcome”, said Dr Lena Low,

Executive Director, Corporate Services and Surveyor

Workforce.

“We have refined our application, selection and re-

appointment processes, reviewed and updated the

training and education materials and improved our

methods of communication, to ensure surveyors continue

to receive contemporary industry knowledge. The

introduction of a 360 degree surveyor feedback system

has enabled us to better review surveyor performance.

“A constant process of renewal and education, as well as

learning from surveyors and listening to our members’

feedback is in place.

“By reviewing the education of the surveyor workforce in

recent years we have been able to refresh their skill

levels and can provide a clearer understanding of what it

means to survey for ACHS.

“Surveying may look relatively straightforward to the

outsider, however, there is a lot of hard work that goes

into making sure that their assessment to the standards

is consistent and based on evidence with outcomes.

“The surveyors are our ambassadors and we rely on their

peer experience and knowledge of the standards to

ensure that our members receive an accurate

assessment of their capabilities.” concluded Dr Low.

Surveyors responsibilities are many and include:

current knowledge of the Australian health care

system, including quality and safety paradigms,

clinical governance and patient centred care,

understanding and applying accreditation

standards in a variety of health care

organisations in both public and private sectors,

attending ACHS surveyor training including the

annual surveyor and/or coordinator development

days and completion of elearning modules

ACHS Surveyor Fast Facts:

ACHS currently has 272 surveyors and 66

coordinators

The ACHS Surveyor training program is

internationally accredited

The practice of consistent coordinators was

introduced in 2014

comments regarding the professionalism of our

surveyors, whom ACHS holds in high regard.

This will be actioned in the upcoming months.

GP Accreditation

The ACHS is pleased to advise that it has been

approved as an accreditation provider for General

Practice. Over the next six months, the ACHS will

be working to ensure its successful launch in to

this sector in October 2017.

The year ahead is shaping up to be an exciting

one for ACHS. The Improvement Academy is

going from strength to strength, led by the ever-

energetic and passionate Bernie Harrison. Our

ACHS/ACHSM congress is already attracting

significant interest and we are delighted to be

hosting Maxine Power and Helen Bevan as

international keynote speakers.

Happy Birthday Mr President - ACHS Board members and

ACHS CEO Dr Christine Dennis wish ACHS President Mr

John Smith PSM a happy birthday at the February Board

meeting.

ACHSNEWS 3

One of the UK’s

most important and

influential voices in

the ongoing

renewal of

contemporary

healthcare thinking,

Maxine Power will

be a keynote

speaker at our Joint

Congress with ACHSM on September 27-29th, in Sydney.

As the Director of Innovation and Improvement Science

at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, an integrated

provider of hospital, community and primary care

services, Professor Power provides strategic leadership,

improvement expertise and delivery support for large-

scale change programmes delivered locally in Salford.

She has created a rich reputation by working with a range

of regional partners; Manchester Academic Health

Science Centre (MAHSC) and Greater Manchester

Academic Health Science Network (GM AHSN) and

nationally (National Health Service England and NHS

QUEST) and will share her knowledge and learnings with

us.

In recent years Salford Royal has partnered with Salford

Clinical Commissioning Group and Salford City Council in

joint improvement venture Haelo, a centre with expertise

in digital connectivity and building capability in

improvement science and which hosts improvement

experts, clinicians and researchers. And it is from this

venture that Professor Power will share some of the

bigger moments she has faced, under the congress

theme of ‘The winds of change – adjust your sails’.

As the Managing Director, Professor Power delivers

operational leadership to Haelo, which has the primary

purpose of improving population health and healthcare for

the Salford residents. We are excited to have Professor

Power lead the speaker line-up at what promises to be a

highly educational congress.

To stay up-to-date with latest congress announcements

and confirmed speakers, please visit www.achsm.org.au/

congress

The Australasian College of Health Service Management

(ACHSM) and the Australian Council on Healthcare

Standards (ACHS) in conjunction with the International

Union of Architects Public Health Group invites

academics, researchers, executives, managers,

consultants, clinicians, architects and planners, policy

makers and those involved in health governance with an

interest in positively impacting on the health environment,

health management, leadership and policy to submit an

abstract for the 2017 Annual Congress.

The theme for 2017 will the 'The winds of change - adjust

your sails'. Over several years and at many congresses

we have explored much about how to improve our

healthcare facilities and delivery, our strengths and

shortcomings, and where policy stops and management

action starts. Now is the time to decide on the course of

action to build resilience in our health system in the face

of ongoing change, with a need for improved facilities,

greater efficiencies, greater advancements in technology,

and greater involvement by healthcare consumers in

their treatment decisions. There are three types of

opportunities available at this international event for 2017

that will attract attendees from all over Australia, New

Zealand, Hong Kong and through our collaboration with

the international Union of Architects Public Health Group,

from all over the globe. Please submit an abstract for one

or more of:

1. Short paper presentations - a maximum 10-15

minutes - up to 50 opportunities available

2. Poster presentation

3. Workshops - 90-minute full concurrent session

workshop focusing on a specific health leadership

implementation change, challenge or issue - 16

sessions available

As a guide, the suggested focus areas for the 2017

Congress will be practical explorations of how to survive

(and thrive) the current and future challenges for health

leaders.

For further information on how to submit an abstract,

please go to the ACHSM website.

ACHSNEWS 4

The Performance and Outcomes Service have released

four new Clinical Indicator User manuals for the 1st half of

2017 data collection period. These include:

Maternity User Manual version 8 – endorsed by the

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of

Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) and

the Australian College of Midwives (ACM)

Oral Health User Manual version 4 – endorsed by

the Australian Dental Association (ADA)

Ophthalmology User Manual version 6 - endorsed

by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of

Ophthalmologists (RANZCO)

Rehabilitation Medicine User Manual version 6 -

endorsed by the Australasian Rehabilitation

Outcomes Centre (AROC) and the Australasian

Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFRM)

Clinical Indicator sets are regularly updated to support

clinicians in providing evidence-based patient care, and

flag areas in need of quality improvement initiatives.

ACHS would like to thank the members of these Working

Parties for their contribution in the process of developing

these revised Clinical Indicator sets.

To download these User Manuals, please visit the

Clinical Indicator Program page on the ACHS website via

the following link: http://www.achs.org.au/programs-

services/clinical-indicator-program/

REMINDER – to submit the second half 2016 data

through the Performance Indicator Reporting Tool (PIRT)

to ACHS by Monday 20th

February, 2017.

Patient Safety Lead Training Program

If you missed out on being part of our successful 12 month

Patient Safety Lead Training Program in 2016, registrations

are still open for 2017. The new Brisbane PSL

commences June 2017.

For more information and to register CLICK HERE

Quality Improvement Lead Training Program

Your opportunity to be an improvement leader in health

starts with our 12 month Quality Improvement Lead

Training Program. Registrations are still open for the 2017

programs. Sydney QIL commences early February 2017

and Brisbane QIL commences June 2017.

For more information and to register CLICK HERE

RACS approval

We are pleased to announce the Royal Australasian

College of Surgeons (RACS) has advised that both

our Lead courses – Patient Safety Lead and Quality

Improvement Lead have been accredited by the

College and registrants are now eligible for Continuing

Professional Development (CPD) points.

This is a significant level of approval and should

encourage anyone considering one of our Lead

programs to take the step while enjoying the benefits

of the CPD points they will gain.

We still have a few

places left for this year’s

courses which are about

to commence.

In less than one year since its launch in March 2016, the ACHS Improvement Academy has changed how many

think about senior health education in Australia.

With an overwhelming response to its two major Lead programs – the Patient Safety Lead Training Program and the

Quality Improvement Lead Training Program - it has become the go to place for quality and safety education.

The Improvement Academy allows healthcare organisations to identify gaps in the staff skill level and knowledge and

then build up the desired levels of innovation and improvement.

Australasian College of Health Service Management22

FEATURE

Accreditation ready, every day How two Queensland health services are looking to change the face of accreditation in Australia

Sinead Taylor, Health Management Intern, Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service

Accreditation is a long-standing process inthe Australian health sector. Whether you

have a clinical or administrative background, it is likely that you have had some involvement in the accreditation process of your health organisation. It is the complex, cyclical process that aims to safeguard the quality and safety of patient care through monitoring the performance of health organisations, against a predetermined set of principles; which in Australia are the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards.

With its ominous reputation, accreditation is the unrelenting black dog that creeps up on health organisations every three to four years. Like a university student’s studies that culminate in one single, high-pressure exam, whenever assessment looms, organisations are sent into a frenzy trying to prepare huge mounds of paperwork, and creating the veneer of perfection on one day.

Accreditation has become somewhat of an event management process in which auditors are presented with carefully manicured evidence folders, and are escorted down hallways lined with clinical staff who seem to have a penchant for washing their hands. It is an event marked in every executive and manager’s calendar that must be carefully planned and prepared for. But this begs the question: If you’re only ready on the days the auditors turn up, what does that mean for your patients on all of the other days?

Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service’s motto for ‘Quality Care Everyday’ has given rise to this philosophy and the regional Queensland organisation aims to change the nature of accreditation in healthcare. The WBHHS Clinical Governance Support Unit has developed the notion of a rolling accreditation cycle with the goal being to achieve consistent readiness, and continual quality improvement.

The idea behind the strategy is to ensure that quality standards are embedded into the

day-to-day operational responsibilities of all employees, rather than just at the time of assessment. The WBHHS Director of Clinical Governance, Jeremy van den Akker, described the proposed process as ‘the only way forward to ensure standards are employed at the bedside.’

In partnership with Metro South Hospital and Health Service (MSHHS) in Brisbane, WBHHS approached the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) to discuss the opportunity to trial a new accreditation model. In the coming months, WBHHS and MSHHS hope to start a pilot run of this new model, in order to evaluate its effectiveness and applicability for metro, regional and rural health services.

The proposed model will be based on a four-year accreditation cycle, and a ‘no notice’ approach to assessment. Surveys will occur at a frequency unknown to the health services with Standard 1 (Governance for Safety and Quality in Health Service Organisations) and Standard 2 (Partnering with Consumers)

Noun. 1. accreditation - the act of

granting credit or recognition (especially

with respect to educational institution

that maintains suitable standards);

“a commission is responsible for the

accreditation of medical schools”

certification, enfranchisement - the act

of certifying or bestowing a franchise on.

Sinead Taylor is in her final year of her health management internship with Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service. She has a keen interest in quality improvement, project management and health promotion.

ACHSNEWS 5

This article was first published in the ACHSM’s ‘The Health Leader Publication’ Vol 3. No. 2 Summer 2016 and the ACHSM has generously given permission for ACHS to publish it.

Australasian College of Health Service Management 23

WBHHS Chief Executive Adrian Pennington and Clinical Governance Executive Director Dr Pieter Pike

assessed on each occasion due to their overarching functions. The remaining standards will be evaluated on an alternating basis, but health organisations will not be aware of the schedule of assessment. The organisations will receive two working days’ notice prior to onsite surveys occurring, which only allows for minor logistical arrangements to be made.

Any High Risk/Not Met issues will follow the usual AC90 process, and could be identified in any area regardless of standard the surveyors are on site to assess.

While it does sound scary, the idea of the new model is not to try and catch health services in

the wrong; rather it is an attempt to strip back the façade of accreditation that has become somewhat of a production.

Surveyors won’t be asked to wade through piles of evidence folders, but instead invited down onto the ward to witness the standard of patient care provided every day. It is an opportunity for health services to demonstrate to the watchdogs, and the community alike, that ‘Quality Care Everyday’ isn’t just a philosophy, it is a reality.

Although the concept is yet to be finalised, WBHHS and MSHHS have the support of ACHS, and approval from the Australian Commission

on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) is currently being sought. It is fair to say that many will be watching with interest to see what impact this ambitious new model will have on the Australian accreditation process, and more importantly the quality and safety outcomes for patients. Watch this space! xyz

MORE INFORMATION:Please contact WBHHS Clinical Governance Support Unit: WBHSD-CGSU@health.qld.gov.au

ACHSNEWS 6

ACHSNEWS 7

ACHSI continues to keep a strong spotlight on

healthcare accreditation at an international level with

a range of activities held in: Malaysia, Singapore,

Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, India, the United Arab

Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the

Kingdom of Bahrain.

Surveys were held at the following organisations:

Malaysia: Fresenius Medical Care Malaysia Sdn Bhd

- The Kidney Dialysis Centre – Taman Desa,

Singapore: Fresenius Medical Care Bukit Merah

Dialysis Centre, Fresenius Medical Care Khatib

Dialysis Centre, Fresenius Medical Care Yishun

Dialysis Centre, Fresenius Medical Care Hougang

Dialysis Centre and Fresenius Medical Bukit Merah

Central Dialysis Centre,

Hong Kong: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Queen

Mary Hospital & Tsan Yuk Hospital, Caritas Medical

Centre, Grantham Hospital, Bradbury Hospice, Shatin

Cheshire Home, Shatin Hospital, Princess Margaret

Hospital, MacLehose Medical Rehabilitation Centre,

The Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital, Fung Yiu

King Hospital and Hong Kong Eye Hospital,

Macau: Conde de Sao Januario General Hospital and

Macau Community Health Center,

Taiwan: Fresenius Medical Care Taiwan Co. Ltd -

Central Clinic Hospital Dialysis Centre, Fresenius

Medical Care Taiwan Co. Ltd Lee Fooh Clinic Dialysis

Centre and Sense & Beauty Dental Center,

India: Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences and

KIMS Kochi,

United Arab Emirates: Drs Nicolas & Asp Centers

and Dubai London Clinic and Speciality Hospital,

Kingdom of Bahrain: American Mission Hospital,

Royal Bahrain Hospital, KIMS Bahrain Medical Centre

and RBH Medex Medical Centre,

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: United Doctors

Hospital, International Medical Center, Dr Soliman

Fakeeh Hospital and Branch Suncity Co. Ltd.

Polyclinic,

Japan: The Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) between ACHS and Nihon Keiei was signed in

Tokyo in October 2016.

The surveyor development day for international

surveyors was held on 6 October in Dubai. Twenty-two

surveyors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

countries attended the event.

ACHSNEWS 8

Christine Hill from

Rural Home Nursing

Service (Owned by

Hastings Valley

Home Nursing

Service Pty Ltd) tells

us what is it is like to

be accredited to

EQuIP6 – having first

experienced

accreditation with

EQuIP in 1996.

The original Rural Home Nursing Service business was

purchased and established on 4 February, 1995 in the

Port Macquarie area. Previous owners had applied for

and achieved ACHS accreditation approximately 18

months before the sale. Recognising the importance of

accreditation, I contacted ACHS to discuss how to

continue with this recognition. In 1995 the knowledge of

community processes leading up to accreditation was by

comparison fairly rudimentary (while also supportive) and

at the same time I felt that both the ACHS staff and

myself were breaking relatively new and developing

ground.

Accreditation was achieved for the then maximum period

of three years but in retrospect I found the (1996) EQuIP

did not really reflect the quality of a service through the

current evaluation framework.

I felt that a deeper and more specific framework would

clearly identify either improvements or shortcomings

which needed to be addressed and that these identifiers

may also offer a pathway on how these might be

achieved. I found the required computer program for

documenting EQuIP to be arduous and sometimes not

specific.

Our service continued with ACHS accreditation until

2007, when a decision was taken by the business to

experience other accreditation pathways that were being

offered.

At the end of 2015 I decided to return to ACHS knowing

that the EQuIP5 process was further developed than in

previous years and had grown to be more user-friendly

for the community based services. In preparing for the

OWS I was given the option to be assessed against the

newly released EQuIP6 standards although at that stage

no-else had signed up for it. The decision was taken to

be assessed against EQuIP6 (knowing that we would

have to do so after July 2016 anyway).

This service has developed over the years by

approaching things differently and attempting pioneering

approaches to problems or obstacles from which we

have all grown much stronger.

Throwing ourselves into EQuIP6 certainly was different to

our past accreditation preparations. I received great

support from the IT staff who didn’t always have the

answers since this was also new for them. Justin Sheedy

(at Reception) was extremely helpful and always knew

who was the best person to seek out if necessary, as

was Customer Services Manager Michael Wright.

I guess for me the biggest obstacle was not having the

new Handbook for the revised programme but, when in

doubt … What I did find was the process itself, whilst

being “hectic” became a really beneficial review and

educational process for us all. With key staff being

allocated their area of specialty to review, they were able

to provide tangible feedback regarding the progress they

had achieved. I think the framework processes, which

have become more relevant to our area of service

(community/home based) better reflects just “how you

are doing”.

With the OWS completed on the 9 August 2016 and 4

years’ accreditation awarded the staff felt “ownership”

and relevance as opposed to reluctance and task driven.

The surveyors, Sally and Pam, were instrumental in the

day’s positive outcome reflecting their extensive

community experiences and understanding of our area of

care.

I am pleased that the decision to go with EQuIP6 was

made for our service as the flow on benefits to staff,

carers, clients and brokers have made a difference.

Christine Hill

Director RN

23/01/17

ACHSNEWS 9

She may be camera-shy and not wish to have her

photograph taken, but our newest Customer Services

Manager, Anne Hardwicke had already made a

favourable impression with our NSW Private and

Healthecare members.

With almost 30 years’ experience in general and

paediatric nursing, much of it spent in the Paediatric

Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Sydney Children’s

Hospital, Randwick campus for 24 of those years, Anne

has also worked in the UK and Greece.

An experienced nurse, Anne has also recently

experienced the private sector and ACHS is fortunate

that she has a strong background in quality, infection

control and education.

“I’m very pleased to be working at ACHS where I think

because I have previously done quality roles, the

transition has been fairly straightforward,” she said. “I

am looking forward to working closely with the private

sector in NSW and Healthecare and with my practical

experience know I can make a valuable contribution to

our members”.

Anne replaced Michael (Mike) Wright

who had been with us for four years

who, following an invitation to travel

overseas late last year, decided to

take the opportunity to retire and

extensively travel. “Gentleman Mike”

was a pleasure to work with and will

also be missed by his former

members.

We also acknowledge the strong

contribution over five years made by

Megan Nelson who chose to retire

from full-time employment towards

the end of last year. Megan made

many contributions to ACHS during

her time with us, but mostly her deep

knowledge and understanding of the

programs and fearless attitude

towards problem-solving, all which

stood her, and us, in good stead.

We wish both Mike and Megan all the best.

ACHS wishes to warmly

congratulate two clinicians with

longstanding connections to

ACHS.

Adjunct Associate Professor Alan

Sandford (QLD) and current

Board member Associate

Professor Brett Emmerson (QLD)

were each made a Member of the

Order of Australia in the Australia

Day Honours Awards, 2017. We

recognise their major personal

achievements and offer our

congratulations to them both.

In October 2016, a series of EQuIP6 education was

held in the following cities to assist our member

organisations in the transition from EQuIP5 to EQuIP6:

Member feedback to date has been very positive

regarding the introduction of EQuIP6, both in respect to

the content covered by the

standards in EQuIP and the

presentation of the

information in the new

guides.

Hong Kong

Macau

Colombo

Trivandrum

Kochi

Dubai

Jeddah

Bahrain

ACHSNEWS 10

ACHS is reviewing

EQuIPNational in

response to the Australian

Commission on Safety

and Quality in Health

Care’s (the Commission’s)

Version 2 of the National

Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards,

and developing a new program to support the new

NSQHS Standards.

The final version 2 of the NSQHS Standards is scheduled

for release in late-2017 and resources to implement them

are expected to also be available at this time.

Assessment to version 2 of the NSQHS Standards is

planned to commence from January 2019.

The review of EQuIPNational has commenced, and as

ACHS accreditation programs are based on partnerships

and consultations with member organisations and other

key stakeholders, we are inviting members to become

involved in the review so that the new standards will

reflect your needs.

Throughout the EQuIPNational review and development

process, there will be numerous opportunities for

members to provide feedback, including the initial

consultation phase, through working group participation,

field review feedback and the pilot process.

For the first step of the review process, there will be an

online Consultation Survey, accessible via the ACHS

website: www.achs.org.au in March 2017. In addition,

emails will be sent to all member organisations when the

survey commences. The online Consultation Survey will

also provide an opportunity for respondents to indicate

their interest in participating in a working group, which will

provide further input on the content of the ACHS

Standards, and continued direction during the

development process.

ACHS is committed to providing products and services

that meet member needs, and we value your feedback.

Thank you for taking the time to complete the online

survey in March 2017.

Entries are now open for the ACHS Quality Improvement

Awards 2017 which celebrate their 20th anniversary this

year.

From modest beginnings in 1997, the Awards have

grown to be one of the biggest awards in the country,

recognising achievements in three critical areas of

quality; Clinical Excellence and Patient Safety, Non-

clinical Service Delivery and Healthcare Measurement.

“We are delighted that that the awards continue to be a

consistent focus in our healthcare system as they

encourage outstanding quality improvement activities,”

said Dr Christine Dennis, ACHS CEO.

“The awards are a great opportunity to recognise many

of the great unsung pieces of quality improvement that

are occurring annually throughout Health.

“Furthermore, they assist in extending the ACHS

principles of quality, namely: Consumer Focus, Effective

Leadership, Evidence of Outcomes and Striving for Best

Practice.”

The closing date for the awards is 5pm EST Friday 30th

June for the electronic versions, with hard copies to

be received by Friday 7th July. The winners in the three

categories will be announced during the annual ACHS –

ACHSM Joint Congress to be held from Wednesday

27th - Friday 29th September in Sydney at the Sydney

Hilton.

The winning entries will be published in the “Quality

Initiatives” publication, and will receive a Certificate of

Acknowledgement, a QI Awards trophy and a cash prize

provided by ACHS. Highly Commended Submissions

will also be included in the publication.

Please contact Dr Mark Burgess, Project Officer,

Standards and Program Development on (02) 8218

2776 or mburgess@achs.org.au for entry enquiries.