QUALITY CARE

ACCREDITATION

The Accreditation process assesses the quality of a General Practice against professionally developed standards. In our case, these standards are set by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). At Federation Clinic, the Accreditation assessment is provided by Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited (AGPAL), an independent company with representatives from peak Australian medical organisations.

Accreditation involves a three-yearly cycle where Practices are assessed against the RACGP Standards for General Practice. A continuous quality improvement cycle aimed at improving and maintaining the internal organisation and management is carried out after the Accreditation assessment.

On achievement of Accreditation, the Clinic receives an AGPAL Accreditation Certificate and recognition as an Accredited General Practice.

Federation Clinic has been taking part in the Accreditation process for many years and has been honoured with National awards including the RACGP/AGPAL Victorian Practice of the Year, and the AGPAL Quality Innovation Award.

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Federation Clinic is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of all personal health information. It is a policy of this Clinic to maintain the security of patient records at all times and to ensure that such information is only available to authorised members of staff.

REPORTING SYSTEMS

A range of reporting systems has been implemented at Federation Clinic to ensure the high standard of service delivery is maintained. In line with systems for waste disposal, instrument sterilisation, vaccine management and other important procedures, additional reporting systems include;

• Identified hazards, equipment issues and maintenance requirements
• Incidents and near misses
• Protocols to address patient complaints and feedback

CLINICAL AUDITS

Professional development activities are regularly undertaken by the doctors at Federation Clinic to help improve the care provided to patients. Clinical Audits are one type of quality assurance activity which involves a number of doctors collecting anonymous patient information about a particular medication or other treatment provided. The de-identified information is sent to the National Prescribing Service (NPS), a non-profit organisation whose work in promoting the quality use of medicines leads to better health outcomes for all Australians. NPS collates the information from around the country and provides a report to doctors on the treatment of patients. In previous years, these clinical audits have contributed to improved guidelines and processes in the areas of blood pressure management, cholesterol management and antibiotic prescribing across Australia.

Federation Clinic ensures that the collection, storage and use of all health information for any clinical audit complies with the National Privacy Principles and that the privacy of patients, doctors and the Clinic is protected.

INFECTION CONTROL

The development of systems to prevent cross infection within the facility has been a hallmark of Federation Clinic since its inception. The building was originally designed around the principles of infection control, including high ceilings, an open office plan, split waiting areas and refrigerated air-conditioning, all features which assist in minimising the spread of airborne micro-organisms.

Additional protection from protection is promoted through the installation and use of electronic automated hand-washing taps in consulting rooms, treatment areas and toilets.

A waste system using colour coded bins is used throughout the Clinic, ensuring that clean waste is separated from contaminated waste at the point of production. Waste bins in clinical rooms are housed in custom sliding drawers secured with child-proof magnetic latches.

All non-disposable surgical equipment is sterilised on-site by our trained and experienced Nursing team, ensuring that adequate sterilisation temperatures have been achieved for every cycle. Stringent records are maintained of all sterilised equipment.

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