Health Practitioners (Quality Assurance Activities—Hutt DHB) Notice 2010

2010/11

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Health Practitioners (Quality Assurance Activities—Hutt DHB) Notice 2010

Pursuant to section 54 of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, the Minister of Health, being satisfied of the matters set out in section 54(3) of that Act, gives the following notice.

Notice

1 Title

  • This notice is the Health Practitioners (Quality Assurance Activities—Hutt DHB) Notice 2010.

2 Commencement

  • This notice comes into force on the day after the date of its notification in the Gazette.

3 Interpretation

  • In this notice, Hutt DHB means the Hutt district health board established by section 19(1) of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000.

4 Declaration of protected quality assurance activities

  • Each of the following quality assurance activities described in the Schedule is a protected quality assurance activity:

    • (a) Hutt DHB Management of Events:

    • (b) Hutt DHB Clinical Auditing:

    • (c) Hutt DHB Mortality and Morbidity Case Review.

Schedule 
Description of Hutt DHB Quality Assurance Activities

cl 4

1 Interpretation

  • In this schedule,—

    activity means any of the following quality assurance activities:

    • (a) Hutt DHB Management of Events (as described in clause 4):

    • (b) Hutt DHB Clinical Auditing (as described in clause 5):

    • (c) Hutt DHB Mortality and Morbidity Case Review (as described in clause 6)

    participant means a health practitioner who is engaged in an activity and who—

    • (a) is employed by Hutt DHB; or

    • (b) is authorised by Hutt DHB to provide health services; or

    • (c) has an access agreement with Hutt DHB

    significant event means a process or practice that resulted, nearly resulted, or could have resulted in an adverse outcome for a patient or patients.

2 Objective

  • The objective of each activity is to improve the practices and competence of participants by assessing the health services performed by those participants.

3 Information

  • Each activity is based on information derived from the participants.

4 Hutt DHB Management of Events

  • The Hutt DHB Management of Events quality assurance activity involves—

    • (a) identifying, researching, and analysing significant events; and

    • (b) examining the records of patients involved in significant events; and

    • (c) preparing reports that analyse, review, summarise, or identify trends in the information obtained under paragraphs (a) and (b); and

    • (d) holding meetings to discuss—

      • (i) the information obtained under paragraphs (a) and (b); and

      • (ii) the reports prepared under paragraph (c); and

    • (e) documenting the meetings described in paragraph (d); and

    • (f) making recommendations on how participants can improve their practices and competence so as to reduce the incidence of significant events; and

    • (g) facilitating and monitoring the implementation of recommendations described in paragraph (f); and

    • (h) preparing reports on any of the actions described in paragraphs (f) and (g).

5 Hutt DHB Clinical Auditing

  • The Hutt DHB Clinical Auditing quality assurance activity involves—

    • (a) conducting clinical audits on any aspect of clinical practice or clinical service delivery; and

    • (b) preparing reports that analyse, review, summarise, or identify trends in the information obtained under paragraph (a); and

    • (c) making recommendations on how participants can improve their practices and competence so as to improve clinical outcomes and the delivery of services to patients; and

    • (d) facilitating and monitoring the implementation of recommendations described in paragraph (c); and

    • (e) preparing reports on any of the actions described in paragraphs (a) to (d).

6 Hutt DHB Mortality and Morbidity Case Review

  • The Hutt DHB Mortality and Morbidity Case Review quality assurance activity involves—

    • (a) examining patient records; and

    • (b) conducting case reviews; and

    • (c) analysing, with a focus on morbidity and mortality issues, the following data on patients:

      • (i) admission and discharge:

      • (ii) morbidity:

      • (iii) mortality:

      • (iv) outcomes of treatment; and

    • (d) making recommendations on how participants can improve their practices and competence so as to improve clinical outcomes and the delivery of services to patients; and

    • (e) facilitating and monitoring the implementation of recommendations described in paragraph (d); and

    • (f) preparing reports on any of the actions described in paragraphs (a) to (e).

Dated at Wellington this 5th day of February 2010.

Hon Tony Ryall,
Minister of Health.

Explanatory note

This note is not part of the notice, but is intended to indicate its general effect.

This notice, which comes into force on the day after the date of its notification in the Gazette, declares 3 quality assurance activities sponsored by the Hutt DHB to be protected quality assurance activities. The effect of this declaration is that—

  • any information that becomes known solely as a result of the activities is confidential; and

  • any documents brought into existence solely for the purposes of the activities are confidential; and

  • the persons who engage in the activities in good faith are immune from civil liability.

The protections afforded by this notice are subject to certain statutory exceptions. For example, this notice does not prohibit the disclosure of information that does not identify, either expressly or by implication, a particular individual.

This notice remains in force for a period of 5 years after the date on which it is issued, unless it is sooner revoked.

This notice revokes the Health Practitioners (Quality Assurance Activity: Hutt Valley District Health Board) Notice 2004, which has expired.

Issued under the authority of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989.

Date of notification in Gazette: 18 February 2010.

This notice is administered by the Ministry of Health.