Approved accrediting agencies assess healthcare services to the National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare Standards (Primary and Community Healthcare Standards). These agencies are approved by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) following application and review by an approval panel.

The Commission has developed resources and advisories to assist healthcare services implement the Primary and Community Healthcare Standards.

Accreditation provides assurances to the community that a healthcare service meets expected standards for safety and quality. It is a formal program in which trained independent reviewers assess a healthcare service’s evidence of implementation of the Primary and Community Healthcare Standards.

Not all actions within the Primary and Community Healthcare Standards will be applicable to every primary and community healthcare service.

The Primary and Community Healthcare Standards have been developed to support safety and quality improvements in the primary and community healthcare sector. They have been developed through extensive consultation with consumers, healthcare providers and services, professional and peak bodies, Primary Health Networks and other representatives of the sector. Results of consultations are summarised below.

The National Safety and Quality Primary and Community Healthcare Standards (Primary and Community Healthcare Standards) aim to protect the public from harm and improve the quality of health care delivered.