Audit and Certification
HDANZ provides audit and certification services in accordance with relevant legislation and standards and we work with a wide range of health and disability services such as small homes for people with disabilities, Maori services, large multi-site aged care providers, hospitals, allied health professionals, and small and large home care/health services. For services that come under the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001, their audit report is submitted by us (designated audit agency) and the Ministry of Health issues the certificate to the service. For all other services in the health and disability sector HDANZ provides a range of independent certification by auditing the service to their specific sector standard.
Audit
Auditing services to the health and disability sector should be of a high quality and structured to encourage service development. Consequently here at HDANZ we deliver auditing in a way that enables services to establish a foundation from which providers can gain insight into their service delivery. We put a great deal of effort into selecting audit teams that are the right size and have the necessary expertise to meet your needs while also leading to high levels of satisfaction by you. Our auditors have relevant backgrounds, skills and audit experience. We have a comprehensive training programme for our auditors so that they fulfil a relationship approach in working with our clients.
Audits are planned with you and you are provided with all relevant information well before the date of the on-site audit visit. HDANZ clients receive access to our onTrack programme to help make your audit preparation easy and efficient.
Prior to the on-site audit, a Stage 1 audit is completed that reviews key identified policies and procedures as relevant to that standard. For a newly certified service, the Stage 1 needs to be separate from the Certification Audit (Stage 2) and would usually be completed approximately 1-2 months prior to the Certification Audit.
An on-site visit for the Stage 2 Certification Audit includes:
- Review of policies and procedures against relevant standards
- Observations of the implementation of policies and procedures
- Interviews and discussions with staff, consumers and family/whanau
- Discussions with management
- A confidential review of relevant consumer information and records
- Discussion with the provider of the audit findings
Please contact us if you would like a no obligation proposal that outlines services and costs for you to achieve recognised certification that meets your service quality goals.
A word on reporting
Our audit reports are comprehensive because we want you to know what is working well and where there are areas for improvement. You always receive a draft report so that there are no surprises and you have full opportunity to comment. With our reports we aim to include sufficient information to support you to progress the quality development of your service. We believe an audit report should contain information to allow you to understand both the positive aspects of your service as well as those aspects that need further improvement. Our audit reports include a narrative description of your progress as well as any feedback on improvements you can make. You can expect to be able to use the report to build the quality improvement of your service.
Follow Up (Surveillance)
Follow-up includes a Surveillance Audit and may also include a Progress Report as a condition of certification. It is a way of confirming your progress against any identified improvements and the follow-up provides you with assurance that your quality system is continuing to be implemented appropriately.
Where follow-up is required, it is influenced by the results of your audit. The approach taken for surveillance is similar to the full audit but it is only a sample. It usually includes the following:
- Pre visit co-ordination
- A review of your service in relation to the relevant standards and the identified actions from the previous certification audit
- Discussions with management and staff as required
- Interviews with clients / family as appropriate
- Discussion on the findings with you and, if desired, your staff
- Provision of a report structured similarly to a certification audit report
A progress report is simply a report provided by you that describes your progress in relation to criteria identified for improvement in your audit. It is only sometimes required.
Pre-audit Preparation
Pre-audit Preparation (i.e. gap analysis) is an optional service that lets you know how ready you are for audit. It provides you with a report that describes gaps that exist between your service quality management system and the relevant standards.
A pre audit report lets you know the areas that are working well for you and those that need further attention. It usually involves a visit to your service by a Lead Auditor and typically occurs a few months prior to the actual formal audit. The Lead Auditor is also able to work with your staff so that they gain an understanding of the audit process and the likely future expectations of the audit.
We provide you with a report that details the areas where you meet the standards as well as detailing those areas for improvement. You are able to use this report and its action plan in your preparation for Certification.
Please contact us if you would like to know more about how a HDANZ pre-audit gap analysis can give your organisation a head start and streamline the formal audit process.
Independence & Objectivity
So that we remain impartial and avoid conflict of interest we do not provide consultancy services. Consultancy services are services such as:
- Preparing or producing manuals handbooks or procedures.
- Participating in the design or development of service quality management systems.
- Giving specific advice on how to implement the service quality management system.
