Safer Systems - Saving Lives

Safer Systems - Saving Lives (SSSL) takes an international approach to engage hospitals throughout Australia in a commitment to improve patient care and prevent avoidable deaths.

The Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care identified the reduction of patient harm as a priority area for national collaborative action. The Commission sponsored the implementation of SSSL to lead to significant improvements in this area. SSSL is based on the Institute for Healthcare Improvements’ 100K Lives Program. By linking to this program it gives Australia the opportunity to join an international collaborative to improve health outcomes for patients in Australian hospitals using international evidence of what works in these areas.

Like 100K Lives, the Safer Systems - Saving Lives project uses six key interventions to facilitate improvement in health outcomes. The interventions are evidence-based and known to prevent harm to patients if systematically applied across an organisation.

The former Quality and Safety Branch, now the Statewide Quality Branch, of the Department of Human Services in Victoria provided the organisational lead and overarching project management to the hospitals participating in the project.

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