Clinical Governance

I. Introduction

The Government of South Australia (2006) analyzed critical elements of Clinical Governance in the workplace. They found that the success of Clinical Governance directly correlated to workplace culture based on safety, learning and quality improvement. Workplace culture is made up of a collection of shared behaviours and attitudes. Work culture helps shape and define what is acceptable and expected within the system or department in which individuals work

Fostering a workplace that is rewarded or focused on improving outcomes for the consumer based on quality improvement projects, benchmarking and self-reflection is essential. . While the Government of South Australia (2006) sets out an impressive framework for Clinical Governance, it is ultimately the staff culture that will drive it.

II. What is Clinical Governance?

The concept of clinical governance was formed approximately twenty years ago. It followed a series of highly publicized health scandals overseas, first in the UK and also the USA (Department of Health, Government of Western Australia, 2005c:4; Western Australian Council for Safety and Quality, n.d.: 2). The Department of Health, Government of Western Australia (2005c:4) goes on to explain that in Australia, serious clinical incidences were also being reported in all the states and territories. These incidences were examined and reported on following a number or inquires by various Royal Commissions.

The Commissions found that a number of issues were endemic in the health system. These issues included an overwhelming culture of underreporting of adverse events and a lack of responsiveness to issues related to safety and/or quality by management and governing bodies. In fact there was no effective system of reporting any issues, incidents or concerns in order to escalate or highlight them. Communication within the system was identified as poorly as well as communications to clients and their families. A...