Quality and accreditation

At BreastScreen Victoria our mission is to foster delivery of the best possible service and outcomes for women by identifying and leading the development of systems, processes, information, skills and a culture of client centric care.

We do this by:

• partnering with clients
• governance and performance monitoring
• undergoing accreditation
• continuous quality and practice improvement.

Quality improvement

The Quality and Clinical Governance Standing Committee, a Board sub-committee, provides direction to all aspects of quality at BreastScreen Victoria. Everything we do in Quality is aimed at getting the best possible outcomes for our clients.

Quality is also overseen by a number of our Quality Groups: Radiology, Radiography, Nurse Counsellors, Data Management and Program Managers. This provides an opportunity to identify and resolve issues and to work together to develop improvements in service quality. Each BreastScreen service convenes a 'Service Quality Committee', which ensures consistent attention to the operational and clinical matters that can affect performance.

An important test of Quality is the ability to meet National Accreditation Standards and to achieve the required level of Accreditation. The Victorian State Quality Committee supports service providers and the BreastScreen Coordination Unit to achieve and maintain accreditation.

Accreditation

BreastScreen Victoria has a rigorous accreditation program and services are monitored to ensure they comply with the National Accreditation Standards.

These standards were developed by an expert committee within the national program, administered by BreastScreen Australia and the National Quality Management Committee. They are based on research evidence and experience in breast cancer screening in Australia and overseas. They have been developed for each of the following domains:

• Participation
• Cancer detection
• Safety and harm minimisation
• Timeliness
• Client focus

Although the National Accreditation Standards set a minimum benchmark, these are seen as a starting point and it is expected that most services will perform considerably above the requirements. The Victorian BreastScreen Coordination Unit and each service across Victoria are subject to these National Standards and a survey visit every four years. 

More information

Accreditation status of Victorian services

National Accreditation Standards