Safety and quality of health care

Australia has a high quality health care system, rating well internationally, and serving the bulk of the population well. Nevertheless, the safety and quality of health care in Australia is of interest to health care planners, providers and users, as efforts continue to maintain and improve the performance of health care services.

A range of performance indicator reports and other statistical reports on Australian health care services have been published by the Institute and other organisations.

This web site has been designed to bring together a comprehensive array of health care safety and quality statistical information from a range of Australian and selected international sources.

This site provides

• Links to AIHW statistical information on medical indemnity claims in Australia published by the Institute
• Links to AIHW statistical information on the safety and quality of health care in Australia published by the Institute, including publications focused on (a) health care provision, (b) health conditions and diseases, and (c) the health of specific populations such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Links to other Australian information on the safety and quality of health care, including reports published by the former Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care, the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, and state and territory health authorities.
• Links to international information on the safety and quality of health care such as the World Health Organization, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and English-speaking countries.
• Definitions of health care safety and quality.
• Links to additional health care safety and quality resources including websites, journal articles, reports and glossaries.

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

The Commission commenced on 1 January 2006 and is funded by the Australian, State and Territory Governments to develop a national strategic framework and associated work program that will guide its efforts to improve safety and quality across the health care system in Australia.

Over its life, the Commission will:

• lead and coordinate improvements in safety and quality in health care in Australia by identifying issues and policy directions, and recommending priorities for action
• disseminate knowledge and advocate for safety and quality
• report publicly on the state of safety and quality including performance against national standards
• recommend national data sets for safety and quality, working within current multilateral governmental arrangements for data development, standards, collection and reporting
• provide strategic advice to Health Ministers on best practice thinking to drive quality improvement, including implementation of strategies and
• recommend nationally agreed standards for safety and quality improvement.

Partnership between the AIHW and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

On Monday 25 September 2006, a Partnership Agreement was signed between the Institute and the Commission.

The Partnership Agreement sets out the broad intentions of the Commission and the Institute to work together towards a more informative, more useable national system of information that enhances the safety and quality of health care. It was made in recognition of the shared and complementary roles of the Institute and the Commission, and the benefit to safety and quality in health care that fruitful collaboration between the two organisations can bring.

Last reviewed by Safety and Quality on 18 June 2009