Queensland Consolidated Acts

PRIVATE HEALTH FACILITIES ACT 1999 - SECT 12

(1) The chief health officer may make standards under this Act for the protection of the health and wellbeing of patients receiving health services at private health facilities.

(2) Standards may be made about the following--

(a) the particular types of health services to which patients at a private health facility must have access (whether or not the services are provided at the facility) when other health services of a particular type are provided at the facility;

(b) processes for--

(i) evaluating the credentials of medical practitioners providing, or seeking to provide, health services at private health facilities; and

(ii) deciding which health services may be provided by the medical practitioners at the facilities;

(c) processes for deciding ethical issues;

(d) processes for monitoring, evaluating and improving the quality of health services provided at private health facilities;

(e) the day to day care and safety of patients, including admission and discharge procedures and patient records;

(f) management and staffing arrangements;

(g) minimum patient throughput for health services provided at private health facilities and prescribed under a regulation;

(h) equipment, fittings and furnishings at private health facilities;

(i) infection control;

(j) a matter prescribed under a regulation for this subsection.

Example for paragraph (a)--

A standard may be made requiring that a licensee of a private health facility licensed to provide major surgical services to patients must also--

(a) provide intensive care and coronary care services to the patients at the facility; or

(b) arrange for intensive care and coronary care services to be provided to the patients at another facility.

(3) A standard has no effect unless the Minister notifies the making of the standard.

(4) The notice must state the places where copies of the standard and the provisions of any document applied, adopted or incorporated by the standard are available for inspection, without charge, during normal business hours.

(5) The notice is subordinate legislation.

(6) In this section--

minimum patient throughput means the minimum number of patients required to receive a particular health service during a stated period to maintain the clinical skills of the staff providing the health service.