In developing the Primary and Community Healthcare Standards, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has aligned the structure and format to the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards

The eight National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards are:

• Clinical Governance
• Partnering with Consumers
• Preventing and Controlling Healthcare Associated Infection
• Medication Safety
• Comprehensive Care
• Communicating for Safety
• Blood Management
• Recognising and Responding to Acute Deterioration

The primary aims of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards are to protect the public from harm and to improve the quality of health service provision. They provide a quality assurance mechanism that tests whether relevant systems are in place so that expected standards of safety and quality are met.

Both the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards and the Primary and Community Healthcare Standards highlight the importance of clinical governance and consumer partnerships in effective, safe and high-quality health care wherever health care is delivered.  

Some primary and community healthcare services may be implementing sector-specific quality improvement standards, such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme Practice Standards and the Aged Care Quality Standards.

Please consider all relevant standards for your organisation as you step through this program.