Welcome to the website of the Health Care Standards Unit

It is our task to work with the Department of Health to improve the use of standards within the NHS. One of our key aims is to develop and maintain the Standards for Better Health (SfBH) that all NHS organisations are required to take into account when developing, providing and commissioning healthcare. As the Healthcare Commission uses the standards as a key component of their assessments, the Health Care Standards Unit (HCSU) will be working with the NHS and the Department of Health to ensure the standards are useful to staff, patients and other stakeholders. The HCSU are undertaking a survey of views about the SfBH in order to inform the Department of Health's review of the Standards for the next stage of the Government's reform agenda for the NHS.

This website will be our main platform for communicating with you and we will be regularly updating the website with a range of helpful information on the Standards for Better Health.

This month:

In our Publications section there is documentation relating to the Standards for Better Health from the Health Care Standards Unit,  Department of Health, NHS, Healthcare Commission and Monitor as well as other UK and international organisations.

The Core and Developmental Infobanks have been commissioned by the Department of Health and list all the documentation, legislation and regulations referred to by the Healthcare Commission.

The new Newsletter section is where you will find all the back issues of the HCSU Update and sign up to recieve future copies. 

Conference - The Royal Institute of Public Health are running a one-day event entitled 'Key Topics in Hospital Infection Control and Cleaning' which will be held at the Royal Institute on Tuesday 16 September 2008.

Please click here for the event flyer and booking information.