Quality Assurance of Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drug Services
Accreditation
The Mental Health Commission (Commission) requires all non-government mental health and Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Services to obtain and maintain external accreditation against a recognised quality standard.
Non-government mental health services
Non-government mental health service providers are required to be accredited against the National Standards for Mental Health Services 2010 (NSMHS) through a recognised Certification Body. Re-certification is expected every three years before expiration of the previous accreditation.
Non-government mental health services are also expected to align their practices with the six Mental Health Outcome (MHO) Statements through the services and supports they provide to consumers and/or families and carers, although accreditation against the MHO Statements is no longer required, they still form part of the Service Agreement. The MHO Statements also align with the requirements of the NSMHS. Examples of practices that align with the six MHOs are available here: Indicators and Examples of Evidence for the MHOs.
Non-government AOD providers
Non-government AOD service providers are required to be accredited against a recognised standard identified in the National Quality Framework for Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services (2019). Accreditation is to be obtained through a recognised Certification Body and re-certification is expected every three years before expiration of the previous accreditation.
Consumer/client and family/carer input
The Commission encourages all mental health and AOD consumers/clients, their families /carers, and other key stakeholders, to provide feedback to the Certification Body (auditor) when they visit service sites for accreditation purposes. Please contact your service provider to find out when the auditor is due to visit the services you use/work with.
If you have any queries about accreditation requirements for mental health or AOD services, please email the Mental Health Commission.
Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Incidents
All non-government mental health and Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) services purchased by the Mental Health Commission are required to report Notifiable Incidents to the Commission within a reasonable timeframe. Some mental health NGOs are also required to report Notifiable Incidents to the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist and the Licensing Accreditation and Regulatory Unit – please see below for further details.
All Notifiable Incident forms are password protected. The password has been communicated to all relevant non-government organisations. If you need information about any of the Notifiable Incident forms or the password, please email your Contract Officer.
Please ensure you use Internet Explorer when accessing the Notifiable Incident forms below.
For Non-government Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Services
Please click to find the AOD Guidelines for Notifiable Incidents and AOD Notifiable Incident Form.
Please email completed Notifiable Incident forms to the Mental Health Commission.
For Non-Government Mental Health Services
Please click to find the Guidelines for Notifiable Incidents and Notifiable Incident Form. These guidelines provide direction for all NGO mental health services reporting Notifiable Incidents, including Step Up Step Down services.
Please email completed Notifiable Incident forms to the Mental Health Commission.
For Staffed Residential Services
All Private Psychiatric Hostels and Supported Accommodation Providers (excluding Step Up Step Down services) are required to report Notifiable Incidents to three agencies: the Mental Health Commission, the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist (OCP) and the Department of Health’s Licensing Accreditation and Regulatory Unit (LARU).
Providers must use the Notifiable Incident form and apply the policy available on the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist's website:
- Notifiable Incident Reporting Form – Private Psychiatric Hostels
- Policy for Reporting Notifiable Incidents to the Chief Psychiatrist – Private Psychiatric Hostels – please ensure you review this policy.
Note: Please ensure you email the completed Notifiable Incident form to the following agencies: OCP, Mental Health Commission and LARU.
For Counselling Face to Face services (and other NGOs that employ clinicians)
All NGOs providing Counselling Face to Face services and NGOs that employ clinical staff to provide services are required to report Notifiable Incidents to two agencies: the OCP and the Mental Health Commission.
Providers must use the Notifiable Incident form and apply the policy available on the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist's website:
- Notifiable Incidents Form for Private Mental Health Services
- Policy for Reporting of Notifiable Incidents to the Chief Psychiatrist – Private Hospitals and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) Providing Mental Health Services 2019 – please ensure you review this policy.
Note: Please ensure you email the completed Notifiable Incident form to both the OCP and the Mental Health Commission.
For providers who use the OCP Notifiable Incident forms
The Commission has additional Notifiable Incidents that need to be reported (e.g. serious / significant criminal activity, fire or property damage that impacts on service delivery). Providers are to use the relevant OCP Notifiable Incident Form when reporting these incidents and email to the Mental Health Commission.