WHY SHOULD WE CHOOSE QMS AS OUR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT CONSULTANT?

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
QMS Products and Services are all designed to assist your organisation or sector to integrate CQI within all aspects of its operation. CQI can assist your organisation or sector to:

• Improve service user outcomes
• Improve organisational efficiency
• Improve teamwork and staff satisfaction
• Benchmark
• Control costs.

Choice
QMS offers a range of Standards and Quality Improvement Products. This means your organisation can choose the Standards and process that best suits its needs. QMS will assist your organisation or sector to make this choice based upon its size, type and stage of development.

Flexibility
Whatever your organisation or sector’s specific quality needs are, QMS will work with it to meet them. Through our Consultancy Services, we will happily customise* our "off-the-shelf" products to meet your organisation or sector’s specific needs.

*For QIC Accreditation, customisation of Standards and/or the Review Cycle process is subject to negotiation with and approval by QIC.

Experience
QMS has 12 years experience in providing quality improvement, review and QIC Accreditation services to human service organisations. This means we understand how to make your organisation’s quality improvement process simple and beneficial for all involved. Standard features of our Quality Improvement Products include:

• Assigning a QMS quality improvement specialist to individually manage your organisation’s Review Cycle process.
• Providing your organisation with complimentary access to our extensive Directory of Resources, which provides examples of practical documents to assist your organisation in meeting particular Standards.
• Training your organisation in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and the Review Cycle process.
• Providing your organisation with the most appropriate Review Team, carefully chosen from our team of more than 100 skilled Consultants.

WHO DOES QMS SUPPORT?

• Aboriginal community control health services
• Mental health services
• Drug and alcohol services
• Accommodation and support services
• Womens health services
• Counselling services
• Home based care services
• Home and community care services
• Rehabilitation services
• Community advocacy and peak organisation

WHAT DOES THE REVIEW CYCLE PROCESS INVOLVE AND HOW DO WE GET STARTED?

The Review Cycle involves your whole organisation in a four-stage Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process. One Review Cycle is generally completed over a three-year period and is designed to assist it your organisation to use selected Standards to integrate principles of quality within all aspects of its operation. The process specifically involves:

• Being trained in CQI and the Review Cycle process
• Undertaking a self-assessment against the Standards
• Undertaking an on-site external assessment by a team of trained peer Reviewers, which writes a Review Report outlining achievements and recommendations against the Standards
• Developing a Quality Workplan outlining goals and actions that respond to Review Report recommendations, and are to be undertaken prior to your organisation’s next external assessment
• Providing QMS with six-monthly progress reports on the Quality Workplan.

Whether you will need to employ someone to coordinate the process depends on the size and complexity of your organisation. While some very large organisations do employ or seconde someone to facilitate the process, most organisations designate this role to a current staff member.

To get started with the process, contact QMS now to discuss which of our Quality Improvement Products and Standards best meets your organisation’s needs. QMS will then prepare a contract for you to sign and provide you with the resources and on-going support your organisation needs to become a quality improver.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO UNDERTAKE THE PROCESS?

The cost for undertaking the process ranges depending on the size, complexity and particular needs of your organisation. For a quote contact QMS now. Costs for some NSW NGO services may be waived or subsidised due to NSW Health funding. If you think this may apply to your organisation please contact us.

WHAT IS THE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL (QIC) AND WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN QMS AND QIC?

QIC is a national not-for-profit organisation that promotes and assists health and community services through the QIC Standards and Accreditation Program. QIC delivers its program across Australia and New Zealand through experienced licensed providers. QMS is a licensed provider of the QIC program in NSW, ACT, SA and Tasmania. Importantly, QIC and QMS are distinct organisations. This means the decision as to whether an organisation will be awarded QIC Accreditation is made by QIC, independently of QMS.

WHAT DOES QIC ACCREDITATION MEAN FOR OUR ORGANISATION?

QIC Accreditation means your organisation has been awarded a nationally recognised QIC Certificate of Accreditation stating that it has met the Council’s accreditation requirements. The Certificate is valid for three years.