National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations
The National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards) will help provide safety and quality assurance for consumers, their families and carers and best practice guidance for community managed service providers.
Implementation resources have been released to support accreditation to the NSQMHCMO Standards.
About the Standards
The three NSQMHCMO Standards are Practice Governance Standard, Partnering with Consumers, Families and Carers Standard and Model of Care Standard. There are a total of 82 actions across these three standards which describe the level of care and safeguards that a CMO service should provide.
The NSQMHCMO Standards are voluntary. However, funders may require contracted services to be accredited as part of their processes of assurance that services are safe.
Supporting resources
The Commission has partnered with community managed organisations, peak bodies, consumers, carers, and other representatives of the sector to develop supporting resources for the NSQMHCMO Standards.
For consumers and carers
For Service Providers
For Approved Accrediting Agencies
For consumers and carers
For Service Providers
For Approved Accrediting Agencies
Assessment to the NSQMHCMO Standards
Accreditation provides assurances that a mental health community managed organisation meets expected standards for safety and quality. Trained and independent reviewers assess a service provider’s evidence of implementation of the NSQMHCMO Standards.
Approved accrediting agencies
The Commission approves accrediting agencies to assess community managed mental health service providers to the NSQMHCMO Standards under the Australian Health Service Safety and Quality Accreditation (AHSSQA) Scheme. These agencies are approved by the Commission following application and review by an approval panel.
Mental health community managed organisations need to engage an approved accrediting agency to conduct their assessment to the NSQMHCMO Standards. As at September 2024, the following agencies are approved to assess health service organisations to the specified sets of standards.
ACHS
Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS)
5 Macarthur Street
Ultimo NSW 2007
Phone: 02 9281 9955
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards Second Edition
- National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
- Multi-Purpose Services Aged Care Module (MPS Module)
Assured Auditing
Assured Auditing
Level 1, 60 Martin Place
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 02 9412 2110
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
Global-Mark
Global-Mark
Suite 4.07 32 Delhi Road
North Ryde NSW 2113
Phone: 1300 766 509
Phone: 02 9886 0222
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards Second Edition
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
HDAA
HDAA Australia Pty Ltd
PO Box 365
North Lakes QLD 4509
Free Phone: 1800 601 696
Phone: 07 3491 6878
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards Second Edition
- National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
- Multi-Purpose Services Aged Care Module (MPS Module)
IHCAC
Institute for Healthy Communities Australia Certification (IHCAC) Pty Ltd
Address: Level 9, 39 Sherwood Road, Toowong QLD 4066
Postal address: PO Box 764 Toowong DC QLD 4066
Phone: 1800 035 033
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards Second Edition
- National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
- Multi-Purpose Services Aged Care Module (MPS Module)
QIP
Quality Innovation Performance (QIP) Limited
PO Box 506
Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Phone: 1300 888 329
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards Second Edition
- National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
- Multi-Purpose Services Aged Care Module (MPS Module)
ACHS
Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS)
5 Macarthur Street
Ultimo NSW 2007
Phone: 02 9281 9955
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards Second Edition
- National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
- Multi-Purpose Services Aged Care Module (MPS Module)
Assured Auditing
Assured Auditing
Level 1, 60 Martin Place
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 02 9412 2110
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
Global-Mark
Global-Mark
Suite 4.07 32 Delhi Road
North Ryde NSW 2113
Phone: 1300 766 509
Phone: 02 9886 0222
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards Second Edition
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
HDAA
HDAA Australia Pty Ltd
PO Box 365
North Lakes QLD 4509
Free Phone: 1800 601 696
Phone: 07 3491 6878
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards Second Edition
- National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
- Multi-Purpose Services Aged Care Module (MPS Module)
IHCAC
Institute for Healthy Communities Australia Certification (IHCAC) Pty Ltd
Address: Level 9, 39 Sherwood Road, Toowong QLD 4066
Postal address: PO Box 764 Toowong DC QLD 4066
Phone: 1800 035 033
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards Second Edition
- National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
- Multi-Purpose Services Aged Care Module (MPS Module)
QIP
Quality Innovation Performance (QIP) Limited
PO Box 506
Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Phone: 1300 888 329
Website | Email
Approved to assess health service organisations to:
- National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards Second Edition
- National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health (NSQDMH) Standards
- National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare (NSQPCH) Standards
- Multi-Purpose Services Aged Care Module (MPS Module)
Background
The NSQMHCMO Standards were released by the Commission on 23 November 2022.
The Commission partnered with community managed organisations, peak bodies, consumers, carers, healthcare providers, professional bodies, Primary Health Networks, and other representatives of the sector to develop the NSQMHCMO Standards.
The primary aims of the NSQMHCMO Standards are to continuously improve the quality of mental health service provision and to protect service users from harm.
The standards will provide a quality assurance mechanism that tests whether relevant systems are in place to ensure that expected standards of safety and quality are met.
The Commission hosted a webinar on 22 February 2024 to outline supporting resources on the National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations (NSQMHCMO Standards).
Feedback
For questions and feedback on the NSQMHCMO Standards please contact the project team at mentalhealth@safetyandquality.gov.au or the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Advice Centre on 1800 304 056 or advicecentre@safetyandquality.gov.au.