Licensing: private health care facilities
The NSW Health Private Health Care Branch is the licensing authority responsible for:
- administering the requirements of the Private Hospitals and Day Procedure Centres Act 1988, Private Hospitals Regulation 1996 and Day Procedure Centres Regulation 1996
- authorisation to conduct a business of supplying semen under the Human Tissue Act 1983 (NSW) s.21H
- endorsement of the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW) s.115 in conjunction with NSW Health Centre for Mental Health and Drugs and Alcohol for a psychiatric class hospital only.
NSW Health takes a quality improvement approach and works with the owners and managers of the facilities to ensure that the standards of safety, care and quality of life for patients are met. The Director-General can cancel a licence if there is serious non-compliance with the Act and Regulations.
Private hospitals
Private hospitals (patients accommodated overnight) must meet all general licensing standards and any associated licensing standards that apply to each class of facility and specialist service and must have approval to admit child patients (under 14 years) and conduct a dispensary.
There are currently five prescribed classes of private hospitals: general, surgical, obstetric, psychiatric and rehabilitation.
There are six specialised hospital service standards: cardiac catheterisation, emergency services, intensive care, dialysis, neonatal special care and open heart surgery.
Day procedure centres
Day procedure centres (patients admitted and discharged on the same day) must meet the regulatory standards applicable to the prescribed class of the facility and must be approved to admit child patients under 14 years.
There are currently six prescribed classes of day procedure centres: surgical, endoscopic; dialysis; cytotoxic; cardiac catheterisation; and family care.
Application forms and information kits
This web page is managed and authorised by Private Health Care of Centre for Health Protection of the NSW Department of Health. Last updated: 30 March, 2009