Draft National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards 3rd Edition - Consultation
The draft Standards strengthen the focus on patients’ experience of care, while reinforcing expectations for clinical governance, person-centred practice and safe clinical systems. The Standards also embed culturally safe, respectful and inclusive care, clear communication and shared decision-making.
For a deeper understanding of the insights that informed the draft, the Commission invites you to read the Rationale for Change
The Commission is seeking feedback to understand whether the initial draft reflects contemporary safety and quality priorities and is responsive to emerging challenges. We also need to ensure the Standards can be integrated into health service operations and support the delivery of high-quality care in a changing and increasingly complex health system.
You can have your say
This consultation aims to:
1. Establish whether the initial draft of the NSQHS Standards (third edition)
- is fit for purpose and responsive to system needs
- strengthens the person-centred approach to high-quality care
- captures existing and emerging health service safety and quality issues
- better supports health services to participate in continuous learning, improvement and focus on health outcomes
- has an improved structure and format that makes it easier to understand and implement.
2. Identify
- areas where the Standards need to be refined
- the level of support the system requires to implement the revised Standards.
This is a public consultation; visit the NSQHS Standards (third edition) Engagement Hub to have your say.
The consultation closes at midnight on 25 September 2026.
CNSA previously provided feedback to inform this initial draft. To learn more about this submission, visit Government Relations
CNSA will continue to follow this process and provide feedback as appropriate. If you would like to contribute to a CNSA submission to this consultation, please reach out to [email protected].
