Australia’s National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards are undergoing a once-in-a-decade review—an open public consultation led by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Submissions close 30 September 2025, making this a pivotal moment to shape the future of healthcare.
This review invites feedback on whether the current standards truly reflect what Australians expect from safe, high-quality care—and whether new or strengthened standards are needed to meet those expectations.
Why Clinical Care Standards Matter
Within the NSQHS framework sit 19 Clinical Care Standards, each designed to improve outcomes in areas where care varies or falls short. These standards:
- Ensure care is safe, consistent, and evidence-based
- Empower consumers to understand and advocate for their treatment
- Provide clinicians with clear benchmarks for improvement
- Drive system-wide change and elevate priority issues—like sepsis—into sharper focus across policy, funding, and frontline care
Yet despite their importance, only three of these standards are currently mandatory for hospital accreditation.
Sepsis Australia’s Call: Make the Sepsis Standard Mandatory
While the existence of this standard is a milestone in recognising the impact of sepsis, its voluntary status means hospitals and health services are not required to implement it. The result? Inconsistent diagnosis, treatment, and support—leaving lives at risk.
We believe Australians deserve:
- Equitable, life-saving care—no matter where they live
- Nationally consistent clinical practice
- System-level action—not optional aspiration
Sepsis Australia is using this consultation to advocate for one critical change:
Make the National Sepsis Clinical Care Standard mandatory.
Your Voice Matters
We’re inviting sepsis survivors, carers, and bereaved families to join a group submission—a collective call for action backed by lived experience.
By adding your voice, you help:
- Show how sepsis impacts real lives
- Demonstrate why voluntary standards fall short
- Urge policymakers to make consistency non-negotiable
Learn more on how to participate.
Sepsis changes lives. Let’s change the story.