The ACSA scheme has the concept of continuous quality improvement at its heart, and departments who engage with the scheme have to demonstrate this in order to gain and retain accreditation.
One way we drive improvements is through our annual review of the ACSA standards, where we introduce new standards to focus departments’ energy on areas of growing importance to the specialty. New standards introduced in the 2022 edition cover responsible opioid stewardship, environmental sustainability, leadership within departments, and protecting time for clinical-governance activities. Through these new standards we will also be able to collect examples of good practice, which we then share with other departments via the ACSA portal.