In the lead up to the Short Notice Assessment in 2024, Northern Health will be undergoing a Mock Survey this week on 13 , 14  and 15  December, 2023.

The purpose of the Mock Survey is to gauge our level of preparedness and identify any gaps to be addressed in preparation for the actual survey in 2024.

Who will conduct the Mock Survey?

The Mock Survey will be carried out by Governance Plus, led by Sandy Thomson, who conducted our previous Mock Survey in 2019 and 2021. Sandy is a lead surveyor with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) and will be accompanied by Kylie Kreusser.

How will it work?

This has been planned as a Short Notice Assessment to reflect the way we will be surveyed in the first half of 2024. This will provide a view of how well we are meeting the actions in the National Standards.

What is the timetable for the Mock Survey?

Day 1: Wednesday afternoon, 13 December, 2023

• One consultant will visit Broadmeadows Hospital and one Mental Health community site.
• One consultant will visit Bundoora Centre and one Mental Health community site.

Day 2: Thursday, 14 December 2023 and
Day 3: Friday morning, 15 December 2023

• Both surveyors will be at Northern Hospital Epping.

• The surveyors will spend the majority of their time in the clinical environment.
  This will include talking with staff and patients, and observing that our practices meet the requirements as outlined in the National Standards.

Short Notice Accreditation Assessments and Action Cards Procedure

A new procedure has been developed that outlines Northern Health’s preparation for mandatory short notice accreditation assessments as part of the Australian Health Service Safety and Quality Accreditation (AHSSQA) Scheme for Australian hospitals.

In this procedure, there is a list of Action Cards (on page 6) that have been prepared for specific roles in the organisation and this will assist with the planning and preparedness of the Short Notice Assessment.

• Short Notice Accreditation Assessments and Action Cards procedure

For more information, including the Mock Survey Timetable and the PowerPoint presentation from The Window session on Monday, 11 December, click here.