Consultation open – Accreditation scheme for the National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations 

Re: Consultation open – Accreditation scheme for the National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations 

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) is seeking feedback on the Accreditation scheme for the National Safety and Quality Mental Health (NSQMH) Standards for Community Managed Organisations (CMOs).

The Commission has released a discussion paper to provide information to support stakeholders to participate in this consultation, please find the document attached to this email. This discussion paper provides information on the operation of the Australian Health Services Safety and Quality Accreditation Scheme and seeks stakeholders’ views on the accreditation methodology that best suits the CMO sector, within the bounds of that scheme.

The NSQMH Standards for CMOs will be released in November 2022. The NSQMH Standards for CMOs describe a nationally consistent safety and quality framework that all community managed organisations providing mental health services can apply when delivering mental health care. Where implemented, consumers and carers should be able to be confident they are accessing a mental health service that is safe and of high-quality.

CMOs implementing the NSQMH Standards for CMOs will develop their own practice governance frameworks. How this looks will depend on the mental health service’s size, as well as risks and complexities associated with the services it delivers. Implementation requires a whole-of-service approach.

We invite you to provide your feedback via a written submission or participation in a focus group. Please click here to register to attend an information webinar of focus group.

The consultation period is open now until 11.59pm (AEDT) Friday 9 December 2022.

If you have any questions about the accreditation scheme discussion paper or the consultation process, please contact the mental health team at: mentalhealth@safetyandquality.gov.au