This Communiqué provides an update on the fourth meeting of the National Sepsis Oversight Group (Oversight Group). It may be used by members to update their nominating organisations and other key agencies about the National Sepsis Program Extension (Program Extension).

The Commission has established the Sepsis Program Oversight Group (Oversight Group) to provide strategic advice and guidance to inform program and project implementation. Members include people with lived experience of sepsis, as well as adult and paediatric clinical experts from around Australia.

This issue includes items on the consultation for the Falls in older people guidelines, the Patient Safety Principles from the Patient Safety Commissioner for England, patient experience, diagnostic excellence, hospital-acquired complications (HACs), learning health systems, incentives, adverse events, and more. 

Also covered are the latest from BMJ Quality & Safety, Australian Prescriber, Future Leaders Communiqué, Public Health Research & Practice, The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety  and the UK’s NICE.

The Commission developed the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards User guide for the health care of people with intellectual disability in response to significant evidence of poor health outcomes for people with intellectual disability in Australia’s health system.

This issue includes items on the new Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Clinical Care Standard, patient experience, primary care patient safety, clinical leadership, surgical safety, COVID-19, and more. Also covered are the latest from BMJ Quality & Safety, Health Policy, Pediatric Quality & Safety and the UK’s NICE.

The 2024 APS employee census was undertaken between 6 May 2024 and 7 June 2024. As part of our commitment to making the Commission an even better place to work, we are implementing an agency-action plan to address areas where we can improve.