One of the key responsibilities of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) is to monitor and report on the progress of clinical governance while supporting local health services to put effective arrangements into place. It is a role we take very seriously. We have already reviewed performance against generic clinical governance standards and concluded that although progress is being made, the NHS needs to work harder to ensure that it always provides consistently safe and effective clinical care that is responsive to the needs of patients.
The purpose of NHS Boards is to ensure the efficient, effective and accountable governance of the local NHS system and to provide strategic leadership and direction for the system as a whole, focusing on agreed outcomes. NHS Board non-executive directors and chairs of clinical governance committees have a vital role to play in this. They can monitor developments in their area and ask the difficult questions that sometimes need to be posed to ensure that the right action is being taken. However, they need support to be able to discharge this responsibility effectively. We therefore organised the development day to examine how best to provide that support.
The aim of the day was to:
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gain clarity as to the role of non-executives with regard to clinical governance
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identify their specific training needs
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determine the required support materials
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identify how best to supply these
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identify future development and support needs.