Our role
We’re an approved quality assurance committee under the Queensland Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011.
We help improve the safety and quality of public mental health, alcohol, and other drug services through various activities, like reviewing serious incidents and making recommendations to support better care.
Our role includes:
- reviewing and analysing information about critical incidents and investigations to find trends and identify opportunities for improvement
- assessing the quality of mental health, alcohol and other drug services
- making recommendations to the Minister on policy, standards, guidelines and quality improvement
- monitoring whether services put the recommendations into practice.
We also work with other organisations and experts to guide improvements in care.
Critical incidents
Critical incidents are defined by the Chief Psychiatrist and include:
- suspected suicides
- homicides of or by someone with a mental illness
- serious acts of violence
- serious adverse clinical events
- other significant incidents involving public mental health, alcohol and other drugs services.
Reporting and reviewing critical incidents
Mental health, alcohol, and other drug services report critical incidents to the Chief Psychiatrist.
Find out what type of incidents must be reported to the Chief Psychiatrist on the Queensland Health website.
We review investigation findings and data about critical incidents to find trends and recommend ways to improve care and safety. We also look at other types of investigations such as non-critical incidents and coronial inquests.
Membership
Our committee members have experience in mental health, alcohol and other drugs care, and patient safety and quality. We also have members with a lived or living experience of mental health or alcohol and other drug use disorders, either personally or as a carer.
Sometimes we set up sub-committees to look at specific issues and make recommendations.
Chair
Dr Kathryn Tuner
Executive Director, Metro North Mental Health
Reports
We publish a report every 3 years.
Contact us
For more information about the Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs Quality Assurance Committee email mhaodqac@health.qld.gov.au.