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The quality champion

fNot only do we manage healthcare complaints, we also proactively set and monitor leading healthcare standards - the first of their kind in Australia.

These standards were introduced on 1 July 2007 and apply to all healthcare facilities and practitioners. We monitor and report on the quality improvement of Queensland's 226 public and private hospitals and day surgeries.

Our standards aim to improve the safety of Queenslanders by promoting leading practice in key areas.

They also allow us to:

monitor the journey of improvement taken by healthcare providers, creating for the first time a snapshot of healthcare safety and quality in Queensland
empower providers to monitor the quality of their care
promote a culture of continuous improvement among providers by reporting their performance against statewide averages
open a dialogue between providers, to share quality improvement activities and successes
help Queenslanders improve their own care, by making people aware of how they should be treated.

Our standards cover clinical safety, provider function and provider quality.

Some standards, such as our hand hygiene standard, sound simple. It defines when a health practitioner must wash their hands to avoid the spread of infection.

But it may surprise you to know that research shows only 40 per cent of practitioners do this (Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Government). In Queensland, 100 per cent of hospitals and day surgeries report that they comply with our standard.

Other standards aim to:

ensure providers are registered, qualified, well-supported and practise within their recognised ability
ensure all the information on a Cause of Death Certificate is a true reflection of what happened, by reviewing all hospital-related deaths
ensure heart attack patients receive the best possible long term care
prevent surgical infections, incorrect surgery and blood clots
make providers accountable and transparent when handling complaints.