Clinical Governance

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Clinical Governance
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What is Clinical Governance? (1)

• Clinical Governance is
• A framework through which NHS organisations are
  accountable for continously improving the quality
  of their services and safeguarding high standards
  of care by creating an environment in which
  clinical care will flourish (DoH, 1999)

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What is Clinical Governance? (2)

• The foundations of clinical governance are
• The setting of realistic and evidence-based
  standards of care
• The monitoring of performance against these
  standards
• The implementation of change to ensure that these
  standards are reached and, if possible, exceeded

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What is Clinical Governance? (3)

• The tools to achieve these foundations include
• Multidisciplinary clinical audit
• Clinical effectiveness
• Research development
• Lifelong learning
• Risk management critical incident reporting
• Evidence-based medicine/ practice
• Guidelines, pathways and protocols
• Service accreditation
• Individual appraisal and assessment
• Information management

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Why is it important?

• Clinical governance is explicitly reflected in
  the responsibilities and management of NHS Trusts
• Chief Executives have the ultimate responsibility
  for assuring the quality of the services provided
  by their NHS Trust (Health Act, 1999)
• The Health Act also established the Commission
  for Health Improvement (CHI) to help improve the
  quality of health care in the NHS by
  investigating the quality of healthcare in Trusts
  and by providing advice on quality health care

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What are the benefits?

• Clinical governance improves not only the quality
  of patient care, but also efficiency and
  procedures
• It can therefore both enhance patient
  satisfaction and reduce costs

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What do I need to do? (1)

• Visit the DoHs Clinical Governance website
• http//www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndS
  ocialCareTopics/ClinicalGovernance/fs/en
• Read the DoH guidance on the implementation of
  clinical governance
• http//www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/01/20/43/040120
  43.pdf
• Visit CHIs Clinical Governance Reviews webpage
  to see how CHI conducts and assesses reviews on
  clinical governance
• http//www.chi.nhs.uk/eng/cgr/assessing.shtml

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What do I need to do? (2)

• Read subject specific journals
• The Clinical Governance Bulletin (free to
  download)
• http//www.rsm.ac.uk/pub/cgb.htm
• The Journal of Clinical Governance
  (subscription)
• http//www.radcliffe-oxford.com/journals/J10_The_
  Journal_of_Clinical_Governance/default.htm
• Clinical Governance an international journal
  (subscription)
• http//mustafa.emeraldinsight.com/vl1940971/cl2
  3/nw1/rpsv/cgij.htm

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Where can I find examples of good practice? (1)

• See the case studies on the Clinical Governance
  support Team website at
• http//www.cgsupport.org/Resources/Case_studies/
  
• They are split into the following subject areas
• 1) AE 2) CHD 3) Diabetes 4) Maternity 5)
  Mental Health 6) Older People 7) Paediatrics
  8) Primary Care 9) Secondary Care 10) Stroke
  11) Theatre Services

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Whom can I contact?

• The Clinical Governance Support Team
• http//www.cgsupport.org/
• Healthcare Commssion
• http//www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/Homepage/f
  s/en
• The Clinical Governance Research and Development
  Unit (Uinversity of Leicester)
• http//www.le.ac.uk/genpractice/gpaudit/index.htm
  l
• The Kings Fund Information Library service has
  information on all aspects of clinical
  governance. Email library_at_kingsfund.org.uk

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Resources

• Clinical Governance links (Clinical Government
  Support Team website)
• http//www.cgsupport.org/Links/Useful_Links.asp
• The I-Medicine.info website has a section on
  clinical audit and governance
• http//www.miart.co.uk/i-medicine.info/audit.asp
  
• The section A resource pack on clinical
  governance found on the Wisdom Centre website
• http//www.wisdomnet.co.uk/clingov.asp
• See the reading list on the Kings Fund website
• http//www.kingsfund.org.uk/eLibrary/assets/apple
  ts/cligov.pdf