Advisory details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Advisory number | AS21/01 |
| Version number | 1.0 |
| Publication date | May 2021 |
| Replaces | Nil |
| Compliance with this advisory | It is mandatory for approved accrediting agencies to implement this Advisory |
| Information in this advisory applies to |
|
| Key relationship |
|
| Attachment | Nil |
| Notes |
Advice on implementing the 2021 revised Preventing and Controlling Infections Standard of the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards Transition between the current and revised Prevention and Controlling Infections Standard to be fully implemented by 31 December 2021. |
| Responsible officer | Margaret Banks Director, National Standards Phone: 1800 304 056 Email: AdviceCentre@safetyandquality.gov.au |
| To be reviewed | December 2026 |
Purpose
To clarify the requirements for the transition between the 2017 Preventing and Controlling Healthcare-Associated Infection Standard of the National Safety and Quality Health Services (NSQHS) Standards and the 2021 Preventing and Controlling Infections Standard.
Issue
The 2021 Preventing and Controlling Infections Standard of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards supersedes the 2017 NSQHS Preventing and Controlling Healthcare-Associated Infection Standard. It was revised to accommodate lessons learned from the response to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and to better support health service organisations to prevent, control and respond to infections that cause outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics, including novel and emerging infections.
The revision clarifies that the scope of the Standard is any infection that may be transmitted within a health service organisation, rather than being limited to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The requirements in this Advisory relate to all actions in the 2021 Preventing and Controlling Infections Standard and the interrelationships between these actions and all of the NSQHS Standards, in particular the Clinical Governance and Partnering with Consumers Standards.
Requirements
Health service organisations are required to commence implementation of the 2021 Preventing and Controlling Infections Standard immediately following its release in May 2021.
From January 2022, compliance with the 2021 Preventing and Controlling Infections Standard will be assessed at the next accreditation assessment
Accrediting agencies will report to the Commission on compliance with 2021 Preventing and Controlling Infections Standard for assessments that commenced after 1 January 2022.