Under the New Zealand Public Health & Disability Amendment Act 2010 the Commission is charged with:
- providing advice to the Minister of Health on how quality and safety in health and disability support services may be improved
- leading and coordinating improvements in safety and quality in health care
- identifying key health and safety indicators (such as events resulting in injury or death) to inform and monitor improvements in safety and quality
- reporting publicly on safety and quality, including performance against national indicators
- sharing knowledge about and advocating for safety and quality.
'We are responsible for assisting providers across the whole health and disability sector – private and public – to improve service safety and quality and therefore outcomes for all who use these services in New Zealand.' Professor Alan Merry