NSQHS 1 Governance
Clinical governance
Clinical governance is the set of relationships and responsibilities established by a health service organisation between its state or territory department of health, governing body, executive, workforce, patients, consumers and other stakeholders to ensure good clinical outcomes.
Clinical governance ensures that the community and health service organisations can be confident that systems are in place to deliver safe and high-quality health care, and continuously improve services. Clinical governance is an integrated component of corporate governance of health service organisations.
It ensures that everyone – from frontline clinicians to managers and members of governing bodies, such as boards – is accountable to patients and the community for assuring the delivery of health services that are safe, effective, integrated, high quality and continuously improving.
The National Model Clinical Governance Framework has been developed to help health service organisations implement key clinical governance processes. It provides a consistent national framework for clinical governance that is based on the NSQHS Standards. It supports a shared understanding of clinical governance among everyone working in health service organisations, including clinicians, managers and members of the governing body. This will ensure that clinical governance systems are implemented effectively, and support safer and better care for patients and consumers.