Prestigious ACHS Medal 2017 nominations now open

Nominations for one of the most prestigious awards in the Australian health sector — the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards 2017 ACHS Medal — are now open.

The honour, which has been awarded over the last 33 years, recognises outstanding achievement in the promotion of quality and safety in health care in Australia.

The awarding of the ACHS Medal recognises the standalone contributions an individual has made to improving quality and safety over a period of time that are also consistent with the goals of the council.

“ACHS works towards ensuring safe, quality health care for all, and as such seeks to be the leading provider of accreditation products in this country,” said ACHS Chief Executive Officer Dr Christine Dennis.

“The ACHS Medal provides an opportunity to further promote the work of an individual who has made a strong contribution in their particular field of health, by highlighting the improvements being made in safety and quality,” she said.

The four criteria that are used to determine the level of commitment to quality and safety continue to be:

1. Substantial achievement on research into quality and safety of health systems;
2. Distinguished leadership in quality practices;
3. Outstanding achievement in maintaining a continuous quality improvement focus in healthcare delivery systems; or,
4. Outstanding achievement in the promotion of quality in health care.

“Safety and quality continue to be two areas that can make a sustainable difference in the delivery of health care,” Dr Dennis said. “When they are prominent there is usually a strong individual making a noticeable difference and our goal is to recognise their exceptional efforts made over the course of their career.

“Significantly, this award provides a focus to an aspect of health primarily driven by people’s interest and enthusiasm.”

Recent recipients of the medal have included: Professor Bryant Stokes AM (2016), Dr Sahadulla (2015), Kae Martin (2014) and Adjunct Professor Christopher Brook PSM (2013).

The closing date for nominations is 5 pm, Friday, 8 September 2017, and a form for nominations can be found on the ACHS website.

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