Clinical Governance is the accountable delivery of a patient – centered, ever improving, safe and high quality service. It is an umbrella term used to describe activities which aim to improve or maintain the quality of patient care.
“The purpose of clinical governance is to ensure that patients receive the highest quality of NHS care possible”
A number of documents and websites regarding clinical governance are provided by various organisations including the Department of Health.
The 7 Domains of Clinical Governance are;
Clinical Governance and Risk Management Committee
The Clinical Governance and Risk Management Committee are a sub group of the Board of Directors and are responsible for Clinical governance in this organisation.
The Director of Nursing and Quality and the Associate Director Quality Governance are responsible for overseeing the implementation of clinical governance within the Trust.
The CGRM are responsible for ensuring
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Adequate and safe systems of control are in place
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Principal risks of delivery are mapped to control systems
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There is effective public and patient engagement in the planning and delivery of Trust services
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To oversee, scrutinise and review systems to ensure, monitor and improve the quality of healthcare, in particular to the “Standards of better healthcare”.
A number of organisations produce information to assist with clinical governance.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is the independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health.
NICE helps health professionals implement their guidance by providing tools such as cost templates, audit criteria and slide sets.
NICE guidance is developed using the expertise of the NHS and the wider healthcare community including NHS staff, healthcare professionals, patients and carers, industry and the academic world.
National Patients Safety Agency
The National Patients Safety Agency lead and contribute to improved, safe patient care by informing, supporting and influencing organisations and people working in the health sector. They provide the;
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National Reporting and Learning Service
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National Clinical Assessment Service
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National Research Ethics Service
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MRHA)
The MHRA is the government agency which is responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA)
The Health Protection Agency's role is to provide an integrated approach to protecting UK public health through the provision of support and advice to the NHS, local authorities, emergency services, other Arms Length Bodies, the Department of Health and the Devolved Administrations.
Links
DoH Clinical Governance - www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Patientsafety/Clinicalgovernance/index.htm
NICE - www.nice.org.uk
National Patients Safety Agency - www.npsa.nhs.uk
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MRHA) - www.mhra.gov.uk/index.htm
Health protection agency - www.hpa.org.uk
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