Children’s Health Queensland has retained Planetree International Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centred Care, making it the only paediatric healthcare provider in the world to hold the prestigious recognition.
Planetree International is a not-for-profit healthcare leader partnering with more than 800 organisations around the world to set a global standard for person-centred excellence across the continuum of care.
Children’s Health Queensland, which includes the Queensland Children’s Hospital, community-based child and youth health, mental health and specialist statewide services, first achieved Gold Certification in Person-Centred Care in 2021.
Recertification in 2025 means Children’s Health Queensland is the only Planetree-certified organisation in Australia, and the only paediatric healthcare provider in the world to currently hold Gold Certification status.
President of Planetree International Michael Giuliano said organisations that received Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centred Care represented healthcare and humanity at its best.
“We are proud to celebrate Children’s Health Queensland for once again achieving Planetree Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centred Care. This remarkable accomplishment reflects their unwavering commitment to placing patients, families, staff, and the broader community at the heart of every decision,” Mr Giuliano said.
“Their continued leadership in creating a compassionate, collaborative, and healing environment sets a powerful example for paediatric care worldwide.”
Children’s Health Queensland Chief Executive Frank Tracey said the recertification process had reaffirmed Children’s Health Queensland’s position as a global leader in paediatric care, highlighting its dedication to people, partnerships, equity, and innovation.
“This well-deserved independent recognition is a testament to the world-class care delivered by our dedicated teams and reflects the Queensland Children’s Hospital’s growing international reputation.
“Receiving Gold Certification for a second time underlines the organisation’s longstanding commitment to not only clinical excellence but also people, equity and innovation.”
“What matters most to patients and their families, matters most to our dedicated teams,” Mr Tracey said.
“Our clinicians consider children, young people and their parents/carers as true partners in their care, and work with them to keep a patient’s individual needs and preferences at the heart of every decision made about their treatment and care.”
To earn person-centred care certification, Children’s Health Queensland was evaluated against 26 criteria identified by patients, residents, family members and healthcare professionals as what matters most to them during a healthcare experience.
Children’s Health Queensland is one of only 116 healthcare organisations worldwide to receive Person-Centred Care Gold Certification, joining the ranks of some of the world’s leading hospital and healthcare organisations including The Johns Hopkins Hospital in the US, the largest academic medical centre in the world.
ENDS
About Planetree
Planetree International is a mission based not-for-profit organisation based in the United States that has partnered with more than 800 healthcare organisations around the world and across the care continuum to transform how care is delivered. The Planetree approach emphasises the quality of human interactions that occur within healthcare settings, the importance of connecting healthcare personnel to the purpose and meaning of their work, and practical strategies for engaging patients and family members as true partners in care. These elements have been consolidated into the Person-Centred Care Certification Program, which provides organizations with a structured process to guide culture change efforts that yield improvements in clinical and operational outcomes.
To earn the Certification, sites are evaluated against 26 criteria. These criteria examine the quality of human interactions and involvement of patients and families in their care. They also evaluate the availability of choices, attention to clinical and non-clinical needs, and recognition of the role of spirituality, social connection and the physical environment in healing. planetree.org