The new Advisory A17/01: Antimicrobial stewardship has been recently published on the Commission’s website which directly affects health service organisations. In addition the below Advisories have also been recently updated and uploaded to the Commission’s website Advisory A13/07: Advice provided to accrediting agencies on not applicable actions Advisory A16/03: Reprocessing of reusable medical devices in health service organisations The Commission has advised all advisories will be reviewed again in December 2018, prior to the implementation of the NSQHS Standards (second edition).

Residential aged care accreditation visits will no longer be announced ahead of time, following a review into quality regulatory processes. The Minister for Aged Care, Ken Wyatt, has revealed the unannounced audits will be implemented shortly, and aim to ensure high levels of care are maintained at all times. In addition, the Minister has called on the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency to undertake a review of the infectious disease management practices of residential aged care facilities. The review will look into […]

Resources and activities specifically highlighting the role of Infection Prevention and Control in preventing antibiotic resistance in health care that the WHO have developed/will launch for World Antibiotic Awareness Week  (http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-antibiotic-awareness-week/en/)

The water quality requirements in AS/NZS 4187:2014 have undergone a review in light of feedback from the industry. A draft amendment has been published and is now open for public review.  You can access it here https://infostore.saiglobal.com/en-au/Standards/DR-AS-NZS-4187-2014-Amd-2-2017-1941563/ Comment closes on December 19th.  Please follow the instructions on the document to submit your comments. In addition there is a proposal being developed for a full review of AS/NZS 4187:2014. A scoping workshop was to have been held at the end of this month, however this has […]

The Department of Health will be hosting a seminar during Australian Food Safety Week 2017 (13-19 November) on Reducing Foodborne Illness across the Food Chain. The seminar will outline the roles and responsibilities of the different agencies involved in the management of foodborne illness across the food chain. Representatives from a range of organisations including the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Murdoch University, the City of Vincent, OzFoodNet and the Department of Health Environmental Health and Communications Directorates will […]

Promotional materials are soon to be released on the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship (NCAS) website or from the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

On 3 August 2017 the Commission released AURA 2017: Second Australian report on antimicrobial use and resistance in human health. This report provides a comprehensive of the picture of antimicrobial use, resistance and the appropriateness of prescribing in Australia across all healthcare settings. The report contains a range of important findings on antimicrobial resistance and highlights a number of areas for action to help reduce antimicrobial resistance, including reducing unnecessary prescribing in the community, actions to control carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, monitoring […]

The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (second edition) have been endorsed by Health Ministers and will be launched in November 2017. Assessment to the NSQHS Standards (second edition) will commence from 1 January 2019. Health service organisations will be informed of the transition arrangements for accreditation well in advance of implementation. Fact sheets are now available on the Commission’s website. In addition the Commission is also developing electronic monitoring tools for the 2nd edition Standards similar to those developed […]

A study recently published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control found that the failure to change gloves is common among certified nursing assistants, and may be a significant cause of the spread of dangerous pathogens in residential care facilities. The study found: Inappropriate glove use was frequently observed in this long-term care study. Certified nursing assistants failed to change gloves when indicated 66% of the time. Of the touch points, 44% of the gloved touch […]

Join your healthcare professionals in celebrating International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW), October 15-21, 2017. IIPW, which takes place the third week of October each year, raises awareness of the role infection prevention plays to improve patient safety. This year’s theme is “Antibiotic Resistance.” Details can be found at http://professionals.site.apic.org/iipw/