The National Quality Framework: The Benchmark for the Alcohol and Other Drug Sector in Australia

Abstract

A National Quality Framework, developed by the Australian Government Department of Health, currently in a transitional phase, has been introduced to improve the quality of alcohol and other drug treatment services and provide a nationally consistent approach to treatment quality in the sector in Australia. This article examines how the National Quality Framework aims to achieve these goals. The article draws on the theory of quality frameworks to demonstrate how quality of treatment services may be improved under the National Quality Framework. The most difficult challenge for the National Quality Framework will be to deliver a nationally consistent approach to improving quality under the current structural arrangements for monitoring and enforcement of the framework.