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The National Screening Unit announced this week the appointment of the DAA Group to audit its screening programmes. Here is what they say in the 'Screening Matters' newsletter: Monday, July 13, 2020 - 09:08 In a significant step towards sustaining the quality and safety of its screening programmes, the National screening Unit (NSU) has partnered with a new, independent auditing agency. The DAA Group has been appointed for three years, from 1 July 2020, to undertake quality audits for the Ministry’s cancer, antenatal and newborn screening programmes. NSU Manager Astrid Koornneef says the appointment of the DAA Group is exciting news. ‘Quality assurance and quality improvement activities underpin high-quality, equitable and accessible screening programmes.  With the DAA Group we will be introducing a new audit programme with a schedule of regular audits, led by one agency, rather than individual programmes using different providers, as we have in the past.’ Ms Koornneef says the appointment of the DAA Group to improve and streamline the Unit’s auditing process comes at a time when the quality and safety of health services have never been more important. ‘The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a greater focus on health generally and increased scrutiny of the services we deliver. To know our screening programmes will be audited by a single agency, with a solid reputation in the health sector, gives considerable peace of mind.’ NSU Clinical Director Dr Jane O’Hallahan says she welcomes news of the appointment of a new auditing agency. ‘The safety and integrity of our programmes from a clinical perspective are paramount. I look forward to working with the DAA Group and screening providers to uphold and support continuous improvement that results from quality audit.’

Since March of this year, our world has changed. We hope that you have managed well through this time despite all the challenges. The DAA Group audit work ceased when New Zealand entered alert level 3 in March and is only now beginning to recommence. We will be working under the direction of the MoH alert levels and other guidance provided as to how audits are undertaken. Many audits were deferred and planning is well underway for the re-scheduling of those plus the audits routinely due in coming months. We will be doing our best to minimise travel and to take into account the needs of services as we undertake this planning and preparation for audits. We look forward to working with our auditors and clients again as audits recommence.

We hope you like our new website! We've organised the information so that it is tailored to the different Health and Disability sectors in the hope that this makes it easy and simple for you to find the answers you are looking for. We've added Search functionality, rearranged the content per sector and added in a Members Area with learning resources so there is lots to explore! Our team are still just as ready, however, to help answer your questions over the phone so please don't hesitate to call us on freephone 0508 246 776.

National Screening Programme Request a proposal Unsure what standards apply to you? We're happy to help talk you through it. Call us on freephone 0508 246 776 DAA Group and the NSU Audit Programme The National screening Unit (NSU) has appointed The DAA Group to undertake quality audits for the Ministry of Health’s cancer, antenatal and newborn screening programmes. NSU Manager Astrid Koornneef says the appointment of the DAA Group is exciting news. ‘Quality assurance and quality improvement activities underpin high-quality, equitable and accessible screening programmes. With the DAA Group we will be introducing a new audit programme with a schedule of regular audits, led by one agency, rather than individual programmes using different providers, as we have in the past.’ Ms Koornneef says the appointment of the DAA Group to improve and streamline the Unit’s auditing process comes at a time when the quality and safety of health services have never been more important. To know our screening programmes will be audited by a single agency, with a solid reputation in the health sector, gives considerable peace of mind.’ NSU Clinical Director Dr Jane O’Hallahan says she welcomes news of the appointment of a new auditing agency. ‘The safety and integrity of our programmes from a clinical perspective are paramount. I look forward to working with the DAA Group and screening providers to uphold and support continuous improvement that results from quality audit.’ ​ Information for Screening Providers. The DAA Group stands for Designated Audit Agency Group. The directors have both worked for over 25 years in the area of quality systems, standards and audit. They both have nursing backgrounds across a range of sectors. A key value, important to the way we work, is partnership. We will be working closely with you the screening providers throughout the audit process, and with the National Screening Unit (NSU) staff, using a collaborative partnership model. The preparation for NSU audit commenced with our contract on the 1st July 2020. We have spent the first few months establishing a relationship with NSU and providers, and developing the NSU audit programme framework. We are taking time to understand each of the different screening programmes. This is a dedicated development phase as its critical to the success of the NSU audit programme. We will be drawing from our library of audit templates and processes to develop the screening programme audit tools, processes and auditor trainings to ensure each screening programme’s audit requirements are met. Each audit will be undertaken by an experienced DAA Group Lead Auditor and one or two relevant Technical Expert Assessors (TEAs). The screening pathway and your quality management systems are the foundation of these audits. For this audit cycle, the audit will focus on specific areas and will not include all criteria of programme standards. This approach is being developed collaboratively with the NSU screening programmes. Just to clarify, this audit process: is not a clinical practice audit will be designed to minimise duplication with other audit activity, such as DHB certification The audits are called “verification” audits. They will cover a 3-year cycle with a surveillance audit around the mid-point. The tools are being developed based on the programme standards, contractual requirements and guidelines. The audit process may identify opportunities for improvement and identify areas of good practice. The NSU will follow up and monitor progress for any corrective action requests identified in the audit. Quality of service is a journey; it relies on the organisation having a person-centred approach that provides consistently safe and appropriate services for all people equally. The audit process will support this journey. The audit tools will be shared with you to help your preparation. The audit length will be dependent on the size and complexity of each screening provider. The DAA Group has appointed Fiona McDonald-Bates as the Client Manager for the development and implementation phase. Fiona has been with the DAA Group for some years and is an experienced Lead Auditor. Fiona will communicate with each provider giving them information about the process, the preparations required for the audit, and timeframes. We have recently been seeking Technical Expert Assessors (TEAs). The TEAs will work with our Lead Auditor to undertake the audits and prepare the reports. We provide regular TEA training and support. We may have more than one technical expert in our team to give the provider access to a wide range of relevant expertise, and to share the workload. We look forward to communicating further with you and encourage you to ask any questions or raise any concerns you may have in order that we can address these as we plan this audit programme. If you have any questions, please call Fiona McDonald-Bates on 04 498 9911.

Physiotherapy and Hand Therapy Request a proposal Unsure what standards apply to you? We're happy to help talk you through it. Call us on freephone 0508 246 776 Applicable Standards Applicable Standard(s): ​ ACC require providers to be certificated under certain contracts. If you are required to have certification then you can select to either be accredited to the NZS8171:2005 Allied Health Service Sector Standard or ACC Requirements for Physiotherapy Services. Required: ​ The Certification is for three years with a mid-point surveillance. After 3 years this becomes an off-site surveillance if conditions for this are met. ​ General Process: To view the general audit process please click here ​ Frequently asked questions General What is the recommendation from DAA on which audit to take? This depends on the preparation work you wish to or need to do. If your current system for Allied Health Standard is working well and you do not need to do anything before the audit you will have no additional work resources to prepare for the audit.If you choose to move to the new contract you will need to put resources into revising your documented policies and procedures to meet the requirements of the new standard. We are Physiotherapy and Hand Therapy, will it be one audit or two? The audit can be combined and cover both parts of your business. Do I need to fill in the entire self-assessment form? Yes. This form is for you to prepare for the audit. You simply select yes or no, and add a comment if applicable. We need a certification audit - what standards do we need to comply with and how can I get a copy? NZS 8171:2005 Allied Health Services Sector Standard You can purchase from Standards New Zealand -https://shop.standards.govt.nz/catalog/8171%3A2005%28NZS%29/view ACC Requirements for Physiotherapy Services. Provided free online https://www.acc.co.nz/assets/contracts/2a1228abdf/ACC-Requirements-for-Physiotherapy-and-Hand-Therapy-Services.pdf How long is the certification period? The certification period is for four years with an interim onsite surveillance audit at the two year mark. Who is the certifying body? The DAA Group are the certifying body for these standards. Certification What documents do the auditors require? A documentation request letter will be sent pre-audit, as part of stage one of the audit process. Your policy and procedure documents and completed self-assessment are required approximately six weeks prior to the audit date. This is for your first certification audit only, or if you change from Allied Health to ACC and vice versa, and will not be required for subsequent audits. We will also provide a handy checklist which assists you with preparing the documents we need for the first stage of the audit. Who are the auditors that come to our facility? The auditors will have a clinical background and competencies within the physiotherapy sector. They have also completed trainings against the specific recognised standards for auditing. They are supported by our office based team and have regular mentoring and other trainings to minimise variance between auditors. What happens after an audit? A report is prepared and peer reviewed prior to the facility receiving a final copy of the audit report. The facility is also required to plan what actions they will take if any areas of improvement are identified. The auditor(s) will explain this part of the process at the closing meeting at the end of the audit. Do we receive a certificate? You will receive an unframed A4 certificate, that you can proudly display to recognise your achievement. You can purchase a framed A3 certificate for $150. How many auditors will visit us and do you try to get a locally-based auditor? The audit requires one auditor. We have experienced auditors currently based in Taupo and Auckland. We will always try to get the closest auditor to attend. How long does a Physiotherapy or Hand therapy certification audit take? Audits are up to 8 hours on site to complete. If there are multiple sites included in the one certificate which need to be visited, additional time will need to be added to the audit. What happens onsite during an audit? We will provide you with an itinerary prior to the audit date. Our auditor will start with a meeting to introduce themselves and plan the day with you. We need to meet with staff, review records, review the environment, follow some of your practices through and talk with some consumers of your service. We will also review some of your management systems. The clinic needs to be operating on the day of audit. Surveillance When and why is a surveillance required? A surveillance audit is always required for this certification, and is undertaken to ensure the service is maintaining safe practice and to follow up of the progress made against all corrective actions identified at the certification audit. A minimum of one surveillance audit at the midpoint of certification is required to maintain certification - in this case 24 months. This audit can be scheduled two months either side of the due date. The surveillance audit is usually on-site audit, but can sometimes be conducted off-site if qualifying conditions are met. We are considering moving premises in the near term - what happens to our certification? Your certification will follow it's normal cycle, however the next certification or surveillance audit will need to check that the policies and procedures have adapted to the new site. If your facility had been eligible for an off-site surveillance audit it will revert to being an onsite audit.

Welcome to DAA Group pic_six New Banner July 1/12 Partnering with you for quality improvement We provide quality and risk management auditing services to the New Zealand health and disability sector. We partner with you through every step of the certification/accreditation process. We are committed to helping you achieve safe services, positive outcomes, and continuous improvement in quality. Choose your health and disability sector from the drop down below Aged Care Allied Health Services Ambulance Community-based Mental Health Day Stay / Day Surgery Dementia Friendly Recognition Disability District Health Board (DHB) Home and Community Services Hospice Kaupapa Maori Services Maternity National Screening Unit Physiotherapy Podiatry Primary Health Organisations Private Hospital Responsible Authorities Retirement Village Urgent Care arrow&v