Credentialling - A Key To Improving The Quality Of Hospital Services

Introducing measures to ensure health professionals are competent to do the job they are required to do in public hospitals is a key to improving patient safety and public confidence in our health system, says Health Minister Annette King.

Commenting on the release today of the Ministry of Health document, Toward Clinical Excellence: A Framework for the Credentialling of Senior Medical Officers in New Zealand, Annette King says implementing "credentialling" for hospital physicians and surgeons will be a priority for the new District Health Boards.

"The main aim of credentialling is to improve health care for patients. The priority now is to help hospitals develop individual credentialling systems appropriate for their local situation, using a common framework.

"Private hospitals will be expected to conform to the Health and Disability Sector Standard for credentialling senior medical officers where they provide publicly funded services.

"This is just one of a number of initiatives the Government is developing to help establish a guarantee of quality in our health services. Among other things, we will soon be introducing the Health Professionals' Competency Assurance Bill, which is designed to ensure adequate training, registration, competency assurance and disciplinary provisions for all health professionals," said Mrs King.

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