Quality, Risk & Safety
Heathcote Health is a leading small rural health service located 90 minutes north of Melbourne via the Northern Highway, and 40 minutes south-east of Bendigo via the McIvor Highway. We are a 9-bed public facility which provides public and private acute care, 24 hour urgent care, district nursing, and a broad range of community and home-based services. Heathcote Health also has a 42-bed residential aged care facility.
Our catchment provides services to the Heathcote community and its surroundings. Heathcote Health is one of the largest employer in Heathcote with over 200 staff caring for our community.
Quality, Risk & Safety
Heathcote Health is committed to ensuring structured quality, safety and risk systems and processes are in place to ensure that residents/patients/clients receive safe and high quality health care services.
Heathcote Health’s clinical governance processes are guided by a Quality and Safety Framework, which is aligned with Safer Care Victoria’s Clinical Governance Framework 2024.
Heathcote Health’s risk management processes are guided by an Enterprise Risk Framework, which is aligned with the Victorian Government Risk Management Framework 2020 and AS/NZS ISO 3100:2018 Risk Management – Principles and Guidelines standard.
Heathcote Health proactively demonstrates our commitment to quality and safety through continuous quality improvement in addition to maintaining accreditation against relevant health and community service standards. Accreditation is an evaluation process that involves assessment by qualified external reviewers to assess our compliance with relevant quality and safety standards.
NSQHS Standards
National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (2nd edition).
The NSQHS Standards were developed by the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care. The standards aim to protect the public from harm and to improve the quality of health service provision.
The NSQHS Standards apply to Heathcote Health’s acute services and Urgent Care Centre.
Heathcote Health is accredited by the Australian Council on Health Care Standards (ACHS) and is accredited against the NSQHS Standards until October 2026.
The NSQHS Standards | Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
Aged Care Quality Standards
The Aged Care Quality Standards were developed by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. The standards aim to ensure that older people receive safe, high-quality, and respectful care.
In Australia, residential aged care facilities are required to be accredited to receive Australian Government subsidies.
The Aged Care Quality Standards apply to Heathcote Health’s residential aged care facility and community services.
Heathcote Health is accredited against the Aged Care Quality Standards until December 2026.
Quality Standards | Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
NDIS Practice Standards
The NDIS Practice Standards were developed by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. The standards specify the quality standards which need to be met by registered NDIS providers delivering supports and services to NDIS participants.
Heathcote Health is a registered NDIS provider against the following registration categories: XXX. The NDIS Practice Standards apply to Heathcote Health’s residential aged care facility and community services.
Heathcote Health is accredited against the NDIS Practice Standards until July 2026.
NDIS Practice Standards | NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Child Safe Standards
The Child Safe Standards were developed by the Commission for Children and Young People. The standards aim to promote the safety of children, prevent child abuse, and ensure organisations have effective processes in place to respond to and report all allegations of child abuse.
As a public health service, under Schedule 1 of the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 20025 Heathcote Health must comply with the Child Safe Standards.
Heathcote Health is committed to:
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Zero tolerance of child abuse.
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Taking action to protect all children from physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and cultural abuse and neglect.
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Upholding the requirements of the Victorian Child Safe Standards.
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Establishing inclusive, equitable and culturally safe services for diverse and unique identities/backgrounds where young people are respected and valued.
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Embedding child safety into organisational leadership/governance and culture, where the organisation regularly reviews, evaluates and improves child safe practices across policies and procedures.
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Empowering children and young people about their rights, and enabling them to participate in decisions affecting them.
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To providing feedback/reporting/complaint processes that are child focused, taken seriously and responded to promptly and thoroughly.
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To Involving and informing the community in actively promoting child safety and wellbeing.
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Preventing child abuse and identifying risks early, and has robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers, with the intent of removing and reducing risks.
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Providing physical/online environments that promote safety and minimize the opportunity for young people and children to be harmed.
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Systems being in place to identify and ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, regulatory requirements, professional standards and guidelines.
If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse phone 000.
Resources
CCYP | Child Safe Standards
Speak up its your right youth poster
CCYP | Reportable Conduct Scheme
Kids Helpline | Phone Counselling Service | 1800 55 1800
Kids Health Info : About Kids Health Info
Online safety | eSafety Commissioner
OH&S
Heathcote Health is committed to providing a workplace which, so far as is practicable, is a healthy and safe workplace for all employees, contractors, patients/residents/clients, volunteers and visitors.
Heathcote Health adopts a zero tolerance approach to violent and aggressive behaviour towards employees, contractors other patients/residents/clients, volunteers and visitors.
Heathcote Health is committed to supporting a strong health and safety culture that proactively works to improve on practices support a healthy and safe working environment that will benefit everyone. All employees at Heathcote Health are responsible for establishing and maintain a healthy and safe workplace.