About HSO Standards

HSO standards are the foundation on which leading-edge accreditation programs and evidence-informed public policy are built. Standards create a strong people-centred health care system that interest holders can rely on to enable people around the world to continuously improve quality of care.

HSO standards are formatted using the following structure:

• Section title. A section of the standard that relates to a specific topic.
• Clause. A thematic statement that introduces a set of criteria.
• Criteria. Requirements informed by evidence that describe what is needed by people to achieve a particular activity. Each criterion outlines the intent, action, and accountability.
• Guidelines. Additional information and evidence to support the implementation of each criterion.

HSO standards integrate gender responsiveness though three key mechanisms:

• Diverse representation. The Technical Committee for each standard includes a diverse range of genders and professional backgrounds. This composition supports the inclusion of lived experiences and clinical perspectives on gendered differences in care delivery that are central to the development process.
• Evidence-informed research. HSO Standards draw on research that explores gender-based differences in health issues and care delivery. This includes examining variations in prevalence, symptom expression, access to and experiences of care, treatment, outcomes and service standards.
• Inclusive language. HSO standards use inclusive gender-responsive language that respects diverse gender identities and reflects both physical and physiological as well as social and cultural dimensions of gender.

Refer to Annex A for additional equity-based principles integrated throughout all HSO standards.

About This Standard

HSO 11001:2026 (E) Critical Care Services is a new edition of the HSO 11001:2018 (E) Critical Care Services
standard. The goal of this standard is to support the delivery of high-quality, safe critical care services that meet the needs of diverse client populations. The target audiences for this standard include health systems leaders and policymakers, organizational leaders, and their teams as well as individual clients and their care partners.

This standard is evidence-informed, based on findings from the literature, clinical expertise, and those with lived experiences. The published evidence used to inform this standard can be found in the bibliography.

The content of this standard is structured into the following sections:

1. Service Design
2. Service Planning and Coordination
3. Workforce
4. Principles of Care Delivery
5. Comprehensive Assessment
6. Care Planning
7. Care Delivery
8. Care Pathways
9. Continuous Quality Improvement

This standard provides guidance on:

• Providing evidence-informed, people-centred care that values compassion, dignity, trust, and autonomy;
• Working in a team-based way to deliver culturally sensitive and trauma-informed care to meet clients' goals, abilities, and preferences;
• Maintaining a healthy and competent health services workforce; and
• Adhering to practices and a culture that is outcome-focused and committed to continuous learning and quality improvement.

In addition to the above, the standard also provides:

• External assessment bodies with evidence-informed content that can be used in assessment programs; and
• Decision makers with a blueprint to guide policy development for delivering safe, quality care, and
  requirements to support the delivery of high-quality, people-centred care, and to maintain a healthy and competent Health Services workforce.

The published evidence used to inform this standard can be found in the bibliography.

This standard is intended to be used as part of a conformity assessment. This standard will undergo periodic maintenance. HSO will review and publish this standard on a schedule not to exceed five years from the date of publication.

Scope

Purpose

This standard applies to health organizations that provide care to clients admitted to critical care settings as part of an integrated system of care. For the purposes of this standard, critical care is defined as the ongoing, intensive treatment provided to clients with or at risk of life-threatening conditions, illnesses or injuries. Critical care services are delivered by an interprofessional team in specialized environments, using advanced expertise and equipment to stabilize vital functions and respond to urgent medical needs (Samadbeik et al., 2025; Intensive Care Society, 2013).

This standard outlines practices to promote quality and safety in critical services for clients of all ages. The scope includes all levels of critical care and applies to settings where clients are formally admitted and continuously monitored for treatment. Excluded from the scope are services providing ambulatory or inpatient care, as well as other specialized care addressed in separate standards, such as inpatient, surgical, emergency, or emergency medical transportation services.

This standard does not prescribe clinical practice or technical guidelines. Instead, it establishes a framework to support the standardization of critical care services across settings by translating evidence into organizational practices and embedding people-centred care principles. The standard upholds a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and cultural safety, coordinated care and integrated services, and a quality improvement and outcomes-focused culture. This standard is designed to be adaptable across diverse health system contexts with varying resources, infrastructure, and workforce capacity.

Applicability

This standard applies to all health and social services organizations with a role in critical care services.

The defined population for this standard is all ages.