Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00567:schedule:1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00567
Segment Type: schedule
Provision Reference: sch 1
Character Range: 2220–4321

Schedule 1—Description of quality assurance activity
1 Name of activity
The name of the quality assurance activity is the Northern Territory Department of Health Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Committee.
2 Description of activity
The Northern Territory (NT) Department of Health PaMM Committee (Activity) involves the review of perinatal and maternal deaths and cases of substantial morbidity that occur in the NT public health system to identify the single most important factor leading to the chain of events resulting in the death or morbidity event.
This clinician-led review is performed initially at local Mortality and Morbidity meetings where potential contributing factors are identified. Review, analysis and assessment occurs by participants about the factors that may have contributed to the events. Two to three events are subject to subsequent PaMM Committee discussion and reflection, which includes reviewing relevant professional evidence and available literature.
The PaMM Committee analyses these events and, where appropriate, makes recommendations about changes or improvements to policies, procedures, guidelines or practice relating to the provision of health services in order to prevent or reduce the likelihood of the same type of event occurring again.
The recommendations are communicated by the PaMM Committee to the NT Health Clinical Governance Committee and the NT Maternal and Newborn Network for dissemination to and action by relevant services. The recommendations are kept on an action register maintained by the PaMM secretariat and chair. Implementation is monitored and outcomes are reported in the annual report.
The number of cases reviewed, high level process information about individual cases and recommendations will be published in the NT Department of Health annual report, and annually in the NT Department of Health's Clinical Quality and Patient Safety Surveillance Report for the Health Services and Chief Executive Officer. Information will not be published if it could identify a person either directly or indirectly, expressly or by implication.