Posted on: May 25, 2022
At its core, clinical governance is a framework for accountability and decision making that provides the foundation for HOW we do our work and HOW we support our teams to deliver excellent health care.
In December and January, we engaged staff and medical staff in current state analysis – through an online survey, focus group sessions, workshops and interviews – and we gathered some great feedback. Thank you to everyone who participated!
Over 90% of survey respondents believe effective clinical governance structures are important for safe quality care, support better patient and staff experiences, enhance role clarity, provide an accountability framework and enable quality improvement. Visit our webpage for more information on the survey results.
Through the combination of the feedback we obtained, and best practices in other healthcare organizations, we have identified four key areas of focus: Leadership & Culture, Shared Decision Making & Accountability, People-Centred, and Continuous Improvement. Elements of cultural safety and diversity, inclusion and equity will be considered across all four areas.
Here is what we heard:
Leadership & Culture:
- Leaders told us they want a 'north star' for clinical governance, to help avoid planning in isolation, inconsistencies and duplication in engagement.
- A clear structure of clinical governance roles and responsibilities across departments and geographies is needed to support consistent accountability and decision making pathways for leaders and staff.
Shared Decision Making & Accountability:
- A defined decision-making framework, with consistent application, will provide transparency and structure to decision-making.
- Having a clear approach to managing competing tensions such as upholding organizational standards while balancing local needs and; initiating new projects to improve performance and proactively planning sustain changes in progress.
People-Centred:
- A people-centric clinical governance framework is needed to that supports:
- Patient experience processes;
- Capturing innovative ideas and feedback; and
- Community-centred engagement, such as Indigenous communities.
Continuous Improvement:
- Consistent evaluation mechanisms are needed to ensure transparency of decisions, processes and outcomes.
- Data governance is needed to provide a standardized and structured method of sharing clinical and operational data.
- Sustaining improvement initiatives will require education, change management and knowledge translation.
In June, we will again be asking for feedback on the future state design, including principles and design elements. We are counting on your voice to help shape this important work that will ultimately impact all staff in Island Health.
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Want to know more about clinical governance and the Clinical Governance Improvement Initiative? Visit our webpage to find background information, FAQs and more.