The purpose of the NCSP Operational Policy and Quality Standards (OPQS) is to document the policy and standards of practice for providers of services within the National Cervical Screening Programme (NCSP). The OPQS is intended to support all those involved in the NCSP to acheive the programme's aims and objectives by ensuring:

• quality of the NCSP through the implementation of agreed standards and policies by all providers of NCSP services
• that the NCSP is focused on the needs of priority groups, including Māori, Pacific women and older women where this is appropriate
• national consistency of service at each step of the screening pathway
• that health care providers have a common understanding of the role of all providers within the programme, thereby facilitating co-operation.

The Operational Policy and Quality Standards also enable monitoring and evaluating of the NCSP.

Note:

• To facilitate flexibility of revision, from 2009 the OPQS will no longer be available as a complete manual, but will be published on the web only as independent 'sections', as and when they are revised.

Information regarding the reporting of serious and sentinel events can be found at the bottom of this page.

 

Section Five -  Providing a Laboratory Service (September 2009) - 426kb

 

The Managing Serious and Sentinel Events guidelines (linked below) outline the best practice for managing serious and sentinel events in the Cancer Screening Programmes - BreastScreen Aotearoa and the National Cervical Screening Programme.

All incidents need to be reported to:
Harish Mistry, Acting Quality & Equity Manager, National Screening Unit
Harish_Mistry@moh.govt.nz
Ph: (04) 816-3563