As per clause C48 of the National Health Reform Agreement - National Partnership Agreement on Improving Public Hospital Services (NPA IPHS), the Standing Council on Health, the Commonwealth and states and territories have agreed to implement the following definition of an emergency department (ED) short stay unit, or equivalent, with the following characteristics:

(a) designated and designed for the short term treatment, observation, assessment and reassessment of patients initially triaged and assessed in the ED;

(b) have specific admission and discharge criteria and policies;

(c) designed for short term stays no longer than 24 hours;

(d) physically separated from the ED acute assessment area;

(e) have a static number of beds with oxygen, suction and patient ablution facilities; and

(f) not a temporary ED overflow area nor used to keep patients solely awaiting an inpatient bed nor awaiting treatment in the ED.