NSQHS Standards 7 and 8 – safe and quality care every day
Our first full accreditation against the NSQHS Standards is next week from 14 – 17 March (just five days away).
There will be 3 assessors on site for 4 days and they will spend most of their time talking to you and your colleagues in the clinical and non-clinical areas. They will want to see how you provide the excellent patient focused care you do provide.
They will not ask you to explain how you use Standard 7. Instead they will ask about:
- how you care for patients requiring a blood transfusion
- how the blood fridge is monitored
- how you transfer blood from the fridge to the patient and
- how you document consent for a blood transfusion
This is the same for Standard 8. The assessors will want to ensure you know what to do if a patient has an emergency such as:
- what is the procedure?
- where are the nurse assist and emergency buttons?
- when do you use the duress button?
- what to do if the patient has a mental health deterioration?
- how you would help a patient wanted to call a Ryan’s Rule?
- Is your BLS up to date?
When they talk to you, you should simply tell them about the great work you do every day helping to care for patients. That is all they will want to know.
Ella van Raders
Director, Safety and Quality
Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Services (STARS)