Background

The BreastScreen Australia accreditation system has played a pivotal role in ensuring that all BreastScreen Australia services deliver safe, high quality breast screening services to women. While the accreditation system has helped underpin the success of BreastScreen Australia, it has not been fully reviewed since the inception of the program in 1991.

In April 2011, the BreastScreen Australia Accreditation Review Committee (ARC) was established to oversee and guide the review of the accreditation system. The ARC aims to enhance the current system and increase its efficiency, with a focus on client safety and quality. In so doing, it supports maintaining the existing fundamental model and structure of the accreditation program, with any amendments being aimed at strengthening and streamlining the existing system.

The ARC consists of experts in accreditation, the BreastScreen Australia accreditation system specifically, population screening policy, clinical components of the program such as pathology and radiology, quality improvement, evaluation and the management of BreastScreen services. A list of members is provided in the Consultation Paper at Attachment A.

The ARC has been and remains committed to undertaking the review in a collaborative and consultative manner, understanding that stakeholder engagement is a central tenet of the success of this project. Maintaining client safety and ensuring the continued provision of high quality breast screening services within a quality improvement framework are also underpinning principles of the review.

An additional principle is to reduce duplication and create efficiencies within the accreditation system and through this the updates to the system will be resource-neutral or less resource intensive than the current approach. It is intended that any resources associated with implementing the proposed changes will be negated by the savings produced as a result of adopting a more efficient accreditation system.