National Core Standards for Health Establishments in South Africa – NDoH 2011

National Core Standards for Health Establishments in South Africa – NDoH 2011

The Department of Health is committed to providing the best quality care to patients and users of health services, in order to meet their expectations and needs, and to improve service delivery.

The Department of Health, with support from its national and provincial staff and private sector partners, has compiled the National Core Standards for Health Establishments in South Africa – Revised 2010 to set standards for a quality service through detailed definitions of what is expected. Achieving compliance with these standards will assist in proactively putting the systems in place to avoid the most important risks to poor quality care or reduce their impact.

In order to ensure the Core standards are accessible and easy to understand for wider distribution and use, this document outlines the standards only (not the more detailed criteria). This Abridged version of the National Core Standards should be read in conjunction with the main document if more understanding and clarity are needed.

Many standards already exist. These National Core Standards are not new or additional, but have combined existing policies and guidelines in a summary form that sets out the basic mandatory organisational requirements and expectations for safe and decent care in South Africa.