Regulatory Requirements
In this page, you will find information for a new or existing community hospital service licensee on the community hospital service regulations and licence conditions, its applicable specified services and the allowable modes of service delivery, requirements to be a clinical governance officer and licence fees.
Please note that in addition to the requirements set out here, a community hospital service licensee is also required to comply with the Healthcare Services Act 2020, the General Regulations, Advertisement Regulations, Fees Regulations and the Code of Practice for Key Office Holders. A licensee who offers the collaborative prescribing specified service, will also be required to comply with the Collaborative Prescribing Regulations. More information on the legislative requirements may be found in the Summary of Requirements.
When is a Community Hospital Service licence needed?
You will require a Community Hospital Service licence if you:
a. Provide any of the following healthcare services to an inpatient who, having been treated for any disease or trauma or having undergone surgery, needs to receive constant medical oversight by a medical practitioner, for the purpose of assisting the inpatient to regain his or her health or physical functions or providing palliative care to the inpatient:
i. The examination of the inpatient’s body or mind;
ii. The assessment of the inpatient’s health;
iii. The observation and diagnosis of, and intervention in, the inpatient’s health condition;
iv. The treatment of the inpatient for any condition, disability, disease, disorder or injury;
v. The provision of medical care or dental care to the inpatient while the inpatient is being accommodated to receive that care;
vi. The performance of either of the following which changes, or is intended to change, the inpatient’s appearance or anatomy:
- A clinical procedure;
- An invasive procedure that penetrates beyond the epidermis layer of the inpatient’s skin;
vii. The rehabilitatation of an inpatient
c. Provide any other healthcare service that is incidental to the provision of a healthcare service mentioned in paragraph (a)(i) to (vii), including:
i. The conduct of any simple in vitro diagnostic test on the inpatient; and
ii. The conduct of any ultrasound imaging on the inpatient.
For the legal definition of a Community Hospital Service, please refer to the First Schedule of the Act.
Applicable Specified Services and Mode of Service Delivery
The only allowable Mode of Service Delivery for Community Hospital Service is permanent premises. The following Specified Services are offered under the Community Hospital Service:
- Blood Transfusion Service
- Collaborative Prescribing Service
The allowable Mode of Service Delivery for Specified Services offered under Community Hospital Service is permanent premises..
Requirements to be a Clinical Governance Officer
Please note that the appointment of a Clinical Governance Officer for a community hospital service is not required.
Licence Fee
For Community Hospital Service, the applicable licence fee is
- $2,300 (100 beds or more)
- $1,500 (less than 100 beds)
If you provide a Specified Services (SS), you will have to pay an additional fee on top of the LHS fee. If you offer two SS, you can pay a bundled fee instead. Please refer to the Tables below for more information on how your licence fee will be calculated.
For Community Hospital Service Providers with 100 beds or more
Licence Fee | SS Approval Fee | Total Fee | |
---|---|---|---|
(A) | (B) | (A) + (B) | |
Community Hospital Service + 1 SS | $2,300 | $900 | $3,200 |
Community Hospital Service + 2 SSes | $2,300 | $1,700 | $4,000 |