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Five stories of excellence from across Australia reveal how health services are using the Clinical Care Standards to drive meaningful improvements in safety, consistency and outcomes for patients.
Last year marked ten years since the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) released its first national Clinical Care Standard. Since then, the Commission has published 19 standards, each developed in close collaboration with multidisciplinary working groups of clinicians, researchers and consumers with lived experience.
Covering clinical areas from hip fracture and low back pain to psychotropic medicines and heavy menstrual bleeding, the Clinical Care Standards describe what best practice looks like, and how targeted quality improvements can help reduce unwarranted variation in care. To support busy health care teams, the Commission has also produced practical tools and resources to make implementation simpler and more effective.
To mark the 10-year milestone, the Commission invited health services across Australia to share how they have been using the Clinical Care Standards to improve care. The response was broad and inspiring — from small regional clinics to major metropolitan hospitals, with initiatives ranging from tearoom posters to system-wide digital updates.
The five submissions that received Clinical Care Standards Excellence Awards from the Commission reflect both the complex realities of driving quality improvement in health care settings, and the innovation, resilience and commitment shown by services and clinicians.
While the challenges varied — from transient workforces to geographically dispersed services and fragmented reporting systems — three consistent themes stood out: the power of multidisciplinary collaboration, the importance of monitoring and measurement, and the need to embed change into everyday workflows.
Collaboration: building better solutions through shared insight
Successful quality improvement projects rely on insights from across disciplines and departments, and a shared commitment to designing solutions that are clinically sound, practical, and sustainable.
This kind of collaborative thinking was central to the project undertaken by Austin Health’s Medicines Optimisation Service, aligned with the Opioid Analgesic Stewardship in Acute Pain Clinical Care Standard.
The Austin Health team convened a multidisciplinary group of clinicians, pharmacists, consumer advocates and digital health specialists who together identified a shared priority: the need to ensure opioid prescribing intentions were clearly documented and communicated across transitions of care. Together, they designed a digital tool for Opioid Management Plans (OMPs) and embedded it in the electronic medical record system. The result has been a significant rise in OMP completion rates, strengthening prescribing practices and improving continuity of care.
In South Australia, the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network (FUNLHN) used a similar approach to improve sepsis identification and management, informed by the Sepsis Clinical Care Standard. A working group of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and quality managers co-designed a range of solutions tailored to the needs of a regional workforce. The result was a set of low-tech, high-impact tools including a one-page sepsis pathway and pharmacy boxes stocked with essentials for immediate treatment.
In both examples, success came not just from what was built, but how it was built. Early collaboration helped teams understand the full scope of the challenge. Inclusive design led to tools that were trusted and used. And a shared sense of ownership has kept the momentum going.
Measurement: using data to see clearly and act with confidence
In fast-paced clinical environments, effective monitoring offers a clear view of what’s really happening, and where change is needed. That’s why every Clinical Care Standard includes indicators: to help teams monitor care against nationally agreed best practice, and build a foundation for quality improvement and strong clinical governance.
At Canberra Health Services, a monthly audit program is giving the Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) team the regular insights they need to support safer, more effective prescribing. Using the Indicator Monitoring Tool developed by the Commission with the Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Care Standard, the team identified opportunities to improve allergy documentation, optimise antimicrobial prescribing, and reduce prolonged surgical prophylaxis. Through novel local solutions, they are embedding data into everyday practice and supporting better prescribing.
Meanwhile, the Northern NSW Local Health District redesigned its audit process to support stronger clinical engagement and provide clearer data for governance. Aligned with theColonoscopy Clinical Care Standard, the new approach includes digital solutions that make better use of existing data sources. The result is a clearer view of colonoscopy across the district, and a more consistent way to monitor variation and ensure a high quality service.
By aligning local monitoring efforts with the Clinical Care Standards, these teams are building improvement into the system, strengthening governance, and generating the evidence needed to drive change and demonstrate impact.
Integration: building improvements that fit workflows and stick
When a change fits within existing systems and workflows — without extra steps or workarounds — it’s easier for staff to adopt, and more likely to be sustained.
At Barwon Health, that mindset helped drive major improvements in stroke response times. A report from the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry highlighted delays in the delivery of life-saving thrombolysis at the University Hospital Geelong, prompting the Stroke Services team to redesign their acute stroke pathway. Aligning their efforts with the Acute Stroke Clinical Care Standard, they developed a faster, more integrated response. An all-teams simulation exercise then helped test and refine the process, from ambulance arrival through to imaging and treatment.
Changes were embedded through daily huddles, dashboards and ongoing simulation-based training. Results have been striking: median door-to-needle times have dropped from 71 to 46 minutes, and the number of patients treated within the recommended timeframe has increased nearly fourfold.
Putting the standards to work – and making a difference
The Clinical Care Standards support better, safer care — not by adding complexity, but by helping teams focus on what matters most. They offer a clear and practical framework for identifying improvement opportunities, aligning clinical practice with evidence-based recommendations, and driving better outcomes for patients.
These inspiring stories show what’s possible when the standards are put into action, and how they can be adapted to work in all kinds of settings. Read the stories of excellence on the Commission’s website and watch the webinar to hear directly from the health professionals behind the projects.
Read the perspective in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Conjoint Professor Carolyn Hullick is an emergency physician and chief medical officer, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
Dr Alice Bhasale is clinical care standards director, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
The statements or opinions expressed in this article reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy of the AMA, the MJA or InSight+ unless so stated.
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