National Blood Authority Website
Part Five: Performance: Supporting Appropriate and Safe Use of Blood and Blood Products
Up until now none of the arrangements in place to accredit or license approved health providers have included the management and administration of blood and blood products. This has made it difficult for governments to encourage improvements, particularly as the blood and blood products are regarded by approved health providers as 'free'.
The introduction by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) of a NSQHS standard for blood and blood products is providing an excellent opportunity to encourage the adoption of best practice in clinical practice and administration. It will materially assist the NBA to implement a range of programs and initiatives we have been working on for several years, in particular the implementation of the ministerial Statement on National Stewardship Expectations for the Supply of Blood and Blood Products. The NBA is assisting hospitals and doctors to comply with the new standard in several other important ways; see the sections on education and quality improvement initiatives below for a description of these.
In September 2011 health ministers endorsed the ten NSQHS Standards which will support national health reforms. Standard 7 of these relates to blood and blood products. The NBA has worked closely with the Commission throughout the development of Standard 7.
Standard 7, which will come into effect in January 2013, states that clinical leaders and senior managers of health service organisations must ensure the safe, appropriate, efficient and effective use of blood and blood products.
Our collaboration with the Commission is continuing with the NBA developing a guide to support hospitals to implement Standard 7. The guide describes the processes and strategies that hospitals can use to meet this standard. The NBA was invited to present accreditors about the expectations of this standard.