Systems of standards for community health services in Australia

This paper describes how the Australian Community Health Association (ACHA) has facilitated the development of quality assurance systems for community health services in Australia. The systems are based on the standards and review process produced by the Community Health Accreditation and Standards Project, known by its acronym "CHASP'. The paper outlines principles and organisation of community health services in Australia and some background to their development. It then considers what kind of standards and quality assurance methods are appropriate for community health services. The CHASP model of standards and its associated review process is explained. The paper discusses how the ACHA has worked with various states in Australia to establish systems of standards based on the CHASP work. It concludes by looking at some constraints and opportunities in developing CHASP, and some future directions.