What is QICSA?

Quality Improvement & Community Services Accreditation

QICSA is the Victorian Licensee of the Quality Improvement Council (QIC), which operates an Australasian standards and accreditation program.

QICSA is based in the Australian Institute for Primary Care at La Trobe University, and offers support, resources and accreditation reviews to the health and community sector in Victoria.

QICSA implements the QIC program, which aims to promote and assist health and community services through accreditation against its own and industry based standards as well as a program of continuous quality improvement.

What do we do?

Why do we do it?

QICSA embraces Primary Health Care principles and values the role and contribution of continuous quality improvement in the development of quality organisations. We are excited by the possibilities of quality and endeavour to pass on our enthusiasm to others.

How do we do it?

The Standards

All organisations are assessed against the Health & Community Services CORE Standards and can also choose from a range of service-specific standards relevant to them. Which standards are used is negotiated with QICSA.

QIC Service Specific standards include:

Other QIC endorsed standards that can be used include:

The Accreditation Process

Accreditation reviews occur every three years.

The organisation completes a written self-assessment, which is then reviewed and validated by the review team that visits the organisation and conducts:

Findings of the review are made available to the organisation through verbal feedback as well as the written report. Based on these findings, organisations outline the areas that will be developed as part of their quality workplan for the next three years.

Organisational Development

After the review is finalised, relevant CQI goals are established for the next three years in a Quality Work Plan, with support from QICSA.

The Quality Work Plan is then monitored on a six-monthly basis.

QICSA provides structured and other support sessions during the taking action stage, as well as organising a range of quality forums, regional network meetings, as well as other education and training options.

The QICSA organisational and professional development program covers many of the issues that arise out of CQI.

What else?

On a separate fee for service basis, QICSA can provide additional support services:

Why choose QICSA?

There are many benefits of becoming a member of the QICSA program.

QICSA employs reviewers who understand the unique nature of the primary care and community services sector.

Reviewers are trained and maintain professional competencies in relation to quality and standards.

Reviewers come from different locations throughout Victoria and from a variety of service types, and thus are aware of the diversity of contexts out of which different organisations operate.

The flexible and individualised approach that the reviewers adopt allows organisations to get the maximum benefit from this process.

How much will it cost?

QICSA is a not-for-profit organisation, which means we are able to keep our fees reasonably low.

Although an organisation contracts with QICSA to participate for a full review cycle (three years), fees are paid on an annual basis, which assists in spreading the costs of quality activities across each year.

The fees are initially based on the size of the organisation and the number of sites from which it operates. There is a reasonable minimum and maximum annual amount and fees are reviewed periodically, in line with CPI rises. Quotes can be arranged by contacting the Director.

QICSA operates out of the Australian Institute for Primary Care (AIPC) at La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne.

QICSA staff and review teams travel throughout Victoria to provide organisational support, training and reviews.

Director, Pam Kennedy: (03) 9479 3983 - Email: p.kennedy@latrobe.edu.au - Email: qicsa@latrobe.edu.au