The Primary and Community Healthcare Standards aim to protect the public from harm and improve the quality of health care delivered by describing a nationally consistent framework, which all primary and community healthcare services can apply when delivering health care. Where implemented, patients can be confident that their healthcare service is committed to delivering and continuously improving the safety and quality of services.

This document outlines the public consultation process conducted on the draft Primary and Community Healthcare Standards, and summarises participation and the feedback received.

The purpose of this advisory is to describe the requirement for accrediting agencies to submit an annual declaration relating to conflicts of interest.

This issue includes items on COVID-19, Aboriginal people’s experiences of hospital care (report), integrated care, preterm births, night surgery, low value care, shared decision making, engaging consumers, CALD communities, quality improvement partnerships, team care, medication safety in mental hospitals, electronic health records, low back pain and more.

This issue includes items on COVID-19, infection prevention and control in aged care, maternity care, preterm births, informed consent, ageing populations, evidence-based practice, physiotherapy, patient complaints, staff reports, elective surgery cancellations, adverse events, emergency response driving and patient transport, and more.

Also covered are the latest online papers from BMJ Quality and Safety and International Journal for Quality in Health Care and the latest from Safer Care Victoria, the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission and the USA’s AHRQ.

This latest CARAlert Data Update includes data submitted to CARAlert between 1 March 2021 and 30 April 2021. This update provides useful information to support prevention and containment of antimicrobial resistance.

Labels for dispensed medicines are important for communicating medicine-related information to consumers and ensuring effective medicine use. The dispensed medicine label must include the essential information the consumer needs to take their medicines safely and effectively.

This issue includes items on COVID-19, antibiotics/antimicrobials in aged care, antimicrobial stewardship in community and residential aged care, potentially preventable hospitalisations of people with intellectual disability, and more.

Also covered are the latest issues of the International Journal for Quality in Health Care , Clinical Communiqué and Health Affairs along with the latest online papers from BMJ Quality and Safety and International Journal for Quality in Health Care.