The Safety and Quality Essentials Pathway builds safety and quality improvement capability across NSW Health. It includes short online programs available through My Health Learning and longer programs that combine structured learning with workplace application. Programs are mapped to the Healthcare Safety and Quality Capabilities.
To find out more about additional offerings in your organisation, check your local intranet or contact your clinical governance unit.
Complete a single program or work through the pathway over time.
Foundational
The Foundational level is designed for all NSW Health employees and aims to build awareness of our shared role in healthcare safety and quality.
It includes two programs delivered through My Health Learning.
- Six Dimensions of Healthcare Safety and Quality: a 6-minute video introducing the dimensions of healthcare safety and quality (course code: 340129036).
- Foundations of Healthcare Safety and Quality: an eLearning program that applies each dimension to your role and workplace. It introduces the safety and quality processes and tools used in NSW Health (course code: 378591148).
Intermediate
The Intermediate level is designed for emerging local leaders of safety and quality and aims to build understanding of the tools and skills needed to lead continuous improvement.
These programs are available through My Health Learning:
- Introduction to improvement science: Learn to plan, test and measure quality improvements in your service (course code: 378591148).
- Readiness to lead for safety and quality: a guided self-reflection eLearning program. It covers leadership practices, self-development, and the role of the team in safety and quality (course code: 382398949).
Adept
The Adept level is designed for local leaders of safety and quality with a focus on workplace application to build local capability and lead continuous improvement.
Applied Safety and Quality Program
Build the skills, methods and behaviours to lead and engage others in local safety and quality improvement. This 12-month program is for NSW Health staff who currently support or lead local safety and quality improvement efforts, or who are preparing to.
Learning outcomes
The program supports the practical application of improvement science, patient safety methods and facilitation skills in local workplaces.
By the end of the program, you will be able to:
- apply the Tenets of Safety and Quality as everyday behaviours for safety and quality improvement
- apply the NSW Health Facilitation Standards to a range of safety and quality improvement team contexts
- apply improvement, research and applied science methodologies to achieve more sustainable change
- support service users, families, carers and staff to feel psychologically safe to engage in learning and to acknowledge risk and incidents
- apply knowledge of how organisational, team and individual conditions influence a service’s ability to achieve reliably safe, high-quality care
- identify, communicate and contribute to managing clinical incidents and risk
- recognise how thoughts, emotions, physical feelings and wellbeing influence performance at work, and adapt to deliver safe, reliable healthcare
- describe individual parts of the healthcare organisation, and apply this to contribute to change for safety and quality
- apply mindfulness and wellbeing to individual and team contexts.
Program structure
The program runs for 12 months and is delivered as four modules:
- Patient Safety Applied
- Improvement Science Applied
- Safety and Quality Applied at the Point of Care
- Safety and Quality Applied in Systems.
Each module includes:
- preparation for labs: reflections, readings and activities
- two-day labs: experiential workshops
- guided application of learning in the workplace between labs
- a selection of activities that build into a final portfolio of evidence
- active learning groups between labs to support facilitation skill development and your improvement project
- coaching of your application of learning in the workplace.
Prerequisites
Before you start, you need:
- professional experience in any healthcare setting
- completion of Six Dimensions of Healthcare Quality, Readiness to Lead for Safety and Improvement, and Introduction to Improvement Science
- signed local supervisor approval to undertake an appropriate improvement project or safety focus across the program, ideally relating to an identified local risk or improvement opportunity
- the ability to commit to all program attendance requirements.
How to enrol
The program is delivered by local safety and quality faculty within your organisation. To enrol or find out more:
- check your local intranet or
- contact your clinical governance unit.
Ongoing development
Participation qualifies for Continuing Professional Development hours. Certificates of completion are issued through My Health Learning when you complete the program.
After the program, you can continue developing your safety and quality practice through:
- short program electives in a range of topics and delivery modes
- articulation to postgraduate university programs
- joining your local safety and quality alumni, with the potential to join the local program faculty.
Contact your local program coordinator for more details.