Clinical governance standards
Document Type
Standards
Summary
We have developed clinical governance standards, which will provide assurance that organisations are providing high quality and safe healthcare in line with best practice, national policy and legislation. Clinical governance is an integral and essential part of the NHS governance framework. It can help NHS Scotland to meet its statutory duty to ensure and improve the quality of care that it delivers. Standards can support internal and external quality assurance.
The standards apply to all clinical services planned, commissioned or delivered within the health and social care system in Scotland.
Clinical is defined as any healthcare intervention or service requiring assessment, planning, provision, evaluation or oversight by a registered healthcare professional.
A summary of the responses to the consultation will be made available on request. You can request them from the project team at his.standardsandindicators@nhs.scot
Overview of standards
Standard 1: Leadership and staffing
Clinical services have effective leadership and oversight including staffing levels.
Standard 2: Quality management and continuous improvement
Clinical services implement a whole-system approach to plan, improve, maintain and assure safety and quality.
Standard 3: Clinical effectiveness
People receive timely, effective, personalised and evidence-based clinical care.
Standard 4: Clinical safety and risk management
Clinical services effectively manage healthcare-related risks, safety concerns, adverse events and near misses.
Standard 5: Education and training
Staff delivering clinical services have the skills, competencies, training and support to provide safe, effective and person-centred care.
Standard 6: Service user and patient involvement
People and communities are meaningfully engaged in the design, delivery and governance of clinical services, in line with statutory duties and national guidance.
Standard 7: Data and information
Clinical services store and share personal data appropriately and use safe, secure systems and tools.
Clinical governance standards self-assessment tool
To support the standards, we have published a self-assessment tool. This tool supports organisations that work with these standards to measure their services against the standards create an improvement plan.
The tool is available on the Right Decisions Service website.
If you have any questions, contact the Standards team at his.standardsandindicators@nhs.scot.