ReachOut is proud to have gained accreditation under the National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards (NSQDMH)

21 February 2024

ReachOut is proud to have gained accreditation under the National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards (NSQDMH).

The NSQDMH Standards were developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care in collaboration with consumers, carers, families, clinicians, service providers, and technical experts. 

The world-leading standards in digital mental health are designed to uplift service delivery and protect users from potential harm by ensuring that standards of safety and quality are met. 

The introduction and rollout of the standards is intended to produce high-quality digital mental health services that safely and effectively meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of people across Australia. 

In the NSQDMH Standards, a digital mental health service is defined as a mental health, suicide prevention, or alcohol and other drug service that uses technology to facilitate engagement and the delivery of care.

This includes services providing information, digital counselling services, treatment services (including assessment, triage, and referral services) and peer-to-peer support services via telephone (including mobile phone), videoconferencing, the web (including webchat), SMS or mobile health applications (apps).

Janina Jancu, Director of Operations at ReachOut, said the standards are a significant step towards uplifting the quality and safety of the digital mental health sector in Australia. 

“We welcome the rollout of the standards at a time when high-quality digital mental health services are becoming increasingly important. 

“The growing need for mental health and wellbeing support post-COVID and the rise of digital technologies led to the emergence of a number of new digital services in recent years. The rollout of the standards ensures that alongside this sector growth a high level of quality and safety is maintained.”

“ReachOut has been involved in the NSQDMH standards process since its inception, as a member of the initial working group and as a participant in an early pilot. We are excited to see the standards come to fruition. 

Achieving accreditation of the NSQDMH Standards was a priority for ReachOut as it aligns with the organisation’s core values and continuous strive to ensure safe, inclusive and reliable support to youth and their carers. 

“At ReachOut, we’re committed to continuously improving our services and we lead with the needs of our users at the front of our minds. We shifted the narrative from a compliance exercise to a strategic objective that would uplift our services, strongly considering how our users would benefit from us lifting our safety and quality capability.” 

“This is a huge achievement for ReachOut and a great recognition of our services. This accreditation is an indicator to our users that we meet the highest safety and quality standards. It will help to foster trust in our services, which is paramount when supporting young people with their mental health and wellbeing. 

“I would like to thank the entire ReachOut team for engaging in the process. This has been a significant piece of work and your efforts do not go unnoticed.” 

To learn more about the standards, head here: National Safety and Quality Digital Mental Health Standards