Posted on: March 20, 2024
A new design for local clinical governance committees that brings together acute, community, medical and patient perspectives is now part of Island Health's modernized clinical governance structure. This achievement is an important milestone in Island Health's journey to strengthen and streamline the way we work together to make decisions about the quality and safety of patient care.
While regional C.A.R.E. Networks are focused on specific services, eg: Diagnostic Imaging or Critical Care, the local clinical governance committees will focus on services and sites within eight geographic regions. The committee structures, and their accountabilities and mandates, were developed collaboratively over the last six months. While designed to create consistency across Island Health, some regions may have fewer committees to reflect their unique geography and leadership structures.
Core committees include:
Integrated Quality & Operations Councils: Forum for representatives from all site-based and community services to improve quality and outcomes across the continuum of care.
Local Acute Quality & Operations Councils: Hospital-based committees focused on optimal service delivery and operational efficiency within that site.
Local Community Services Quality and Operations Councils:
Integrated table for all community services (eg: Long-term care, Community Health Services) to focus on optimal service delivery and operational efficiency across community services.
The design was informed by Island Health's quality leaders and evidence-based best practices demonstrated by global leaders in clinical governance. The design will help create consistency between regions, and ensure that local committees have the resources, connections to other decision-making groups and clear decision-making rights to drive and influence change.
Leaders are working to identify core membership and advance detailed Terms of Reference for these committees, many of which will begin functioning this spring. Detailed membership principles, orientation and ways of working with other clinical governance committees, such as C.A.R.E. Networks, are actively in development.
FAST FACTS ABOUT NEW LOCAL CG STRUCTURES:
Eight local areas have been identified , which align with Consolidated Local Health Area (CLHA) boundaries. Some boundaries have been modified to reflect patient flow and leadership structures. MAP
The model supports three core committees for each region: One focused on community-based services, one focused on acute sites and an integrated council that provides a forum for all sites and services. DESCRIPTION
Watch this space in the coming weeks for more information about the implementation of these new structures.
