Clinical Governance for Improving Quality of Healthcare
Different groups of healthcare professionals work together, and they are an integral part of the health and social care system. They are subject to regulation, compliance, national and local policies, guidance, protocols and accountability arrangements for patient safety, clinical effectiveness, and improved service users’ experience. Quality is the heart of the health services, and quality in regards to clinical governance is defined in three broad strands – ‘patient safety, clinical effectiveness and patient experience’ (Department of Health, 2008, p.47). Clinical governance is a continuous process for improving and sustaining quality of care delivered to service users. Clinical governance ensures clinical quality is placed at the heart of the health services, and healthcare professionals for the delivery of the highest standards of care by reducing failures, and shared learning. All service users in health and social care settings expect to receive quality healthcare. Quality in healthcare is not a new concept and it goes back to conceptualization of health and medical science. All healthcare organizations, healthcare professionals, service providers, service users, and stakeholders involved in the delivery of healthcare understand the importance of providing the best care possible to all service users. One of the important objectives of healthcare providers is to ensure that they offer better care through the reduction or errors and waste, and the delivery of effective patient care.
