Policies and standards

Health service directives

ICT and information management policies and standards, human resource policies and health employment directives also apply to HHSs. HHSs may also be interested in Queensland Health guidelines for guidance on clinical and non-clinical activities and functions.

The Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 (Section 47) authorises the Chief Executive of the Department of Health to issue health service directives (HSDs) to hospital and health services (HHSs). HSDs may be issued for the purposes of:

promoting service coordination and integration
optimising effective and efficient use of resources
setting standards and policies for safe and high quality service delivery
ensuring consistent approaches to service delivery
supporting the application of State policies, legislation and agreements entered into by the State.

HSDs are brief and focussed on specific requirements of, or outcomes to be achieved by, HHSs.

To find a HSD, start typing the topic, name or number in the search box to filter the below table. You can also filter and sort columns.

Title	Document type	Document number	Applies to	Topic
Caring for people disclosing sexual assault	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-051	All Hospital and Health Services	Clinical practice
Car parking provisions (Hospital)	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-042	All Hospital and Health Services	Car parking
Hospital car parking—provision of staff parking	Guideline	qh-hsdgdl-042-1	All Hospital and Health Services	Car parking
Hospital car parking—patient and carer car parking concessions	Standard	qh-hsdimp-042-2	All Hospital and Health Services	Car parking
Credentialing and defining the scope of clinical practice	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-034	All Hospital and Health Services	Clinical practice
Credentialing and defining the scope of clinical practice	Guideline	qh-hsdgdl-034-1	All Hospital and Health Services	Clinical practice
Guideline for Nurse Practitioner Organisational Credentialing	Guideline	qh-hsdgdl-034-2	All Hospital and Health Services	Clinical practice
Disasters and emergency incidents	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-003	All Hospital and Health Services	Emergency management
Enterprise architecture	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-015	All Hospital and Health Services	Information technology
Enterprise information, communications and technology governance	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-052	All Hospital and Health Services	Information technology
Fees and charges for health care services	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-045	All Hospital and Health Services	Financial management
Fees and charges - effective 20 March 2025	Fees and charges register		All Hospital and Health Services	Financial management
First Nations health equity strategy—co-design and mediation process	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-053	All Hospital and Health Services	First Nations health
Healthier food and drinks at healthcare facilities	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-049	All Hospital and Health Services	Healthier food and drinks
Patient access to care	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-025	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient access to care
Protocol for timely transfer of care in emergency departments	Protocol	qh-hsdptl-025-1	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient access to care
Protocol for management of inter-hospital transfers	Protocol	qh-hsdptl-025-2	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient access to care
Protocol for managing capacity of Queensland public hospitals	Protocol	qh-hsdptl-025-3	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient access to care
Patient safety	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-032	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient safety
Variable life adjusted display and other national patient safety indicators	Guideline	qh-hsdgdl-032-1	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient safety
Clinical incident management	Guideline	qh-hsdgdl-032-2	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient safety
Patient safety notification system	Guideline	qh-hsdgdl-032-3	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient safety
Clinical services capability framework	Guideline	qh-hsdgdl-032-4	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient safety
Accreditation guideline	Guideline	qh-hsdgdl-032-5	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient safety
Protocol for Obtaining Informed Consent for health care procedures or treatment	Protocol	qh-hsdptl-032-6	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient safety
Protocol for reporting congenital syphilis	Protocol	qh-hsdptl-032-7	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient safety
Patient travel subsidy scheme	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-050	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient travel subsidy scheme
Administration of the patient travel subsidy scheme protocol	Protocol	qh-hsdptl-050-1	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient travel subsidy scheme
Patient travel subsidy scheme guideline	Guideline	qh-hsdgdl-050-2	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient travel subsidy scheme
Private practice in the Queensland public health sector	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-044	All Hospital and Health Services	Clinical practice
Public health event of State significance—declaration and management of	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-046	All Hospital and Health Services	Public health management
Research ethics and governance	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-035	All Hospital and Health Services	Research
Retrieval services	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-005	All Hospital and Health Services	Clinical practice
Scholarship schemes	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-048	All Hospital and Health Services	Scholarship schemes
Scholarship schemes standard	Standard	qh-hsdimp-048-1	All Hospital and Health Services	Scholarship schemes
Tuberculosis control	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-040	All Hospital and Health Services	Public health management
Tuberculosis control protocol	Protocol	qh-hsdptl-040-1	All Hospital and Health Services	Public health management
Vaccine preventable disease screening for contractors, students and volunteers	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-047	All Hospital and Health Services	Public health management
Vaccine preventable disease screening for contractors, students and volunteers protocol	Protocol	qh-hsdptl-047-1	All Hospital and Health Services	Public health management
Access to voluntary assisted dying	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-054	All Hospital and Health Services	Clinical practice
HIV treatment and care for people not eligible for Medicare	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-055	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient access to care
Protocol for HIV treatment and care for people not eligible for Medicare	Protocol	qh-hsdptl-055-1	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient access to care
Co-payment waiver for HIV medication	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-056	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient access to care
Medication co-payment subsidy for First Nations people	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-057	All Hospital and Health Services	Patient access to care
Access to public health care for Medicare- ineligible victim-survivors of Domestic and Family Violence and/or Sexual Assault	Guideline	qh-hsdgdl-045-1	All Hospital and Health Services	Financial management
The treatment of gender dysphoria in children and adolescents under 18 years of age with puberty blockers and gender affirming hormone therapy	Health Service Directive	qh-hsd-058	All Hospital and Health Services	Clinical practice

Last updated: 2 April 2025