The Aged Care Quality Standards require aged care services that provide clinical care to demonstrate the use of a clinical governance framework (Standard 8, 3(e)).
Clinical governance is an integrated set of leadership behaviours, policies, procedures, responsibilities, relationships, planning, monitoring and improvement mechanisms that are implemented to support safe, quality clinical care and good clinical outcomes for each consumer.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has worked with a range of stakeholders to develop resources to help aged care providers understand the key concepts of clinical governance and how to apply these concepts in their service. This includes a toolkit to help aged care providers develop a clinical governance framework that fits their service.
Download all Clinical Governance resources in our Resource Library. Please note: these resources are not available for hard copy order.
Fact sheets
Fact sheets provide information about the key concepts and principles of clinical governance:
Fact sheet 1: Introduction to clinical governance
Introduces core concepts of clinical governance that need to be applied in an aged care service
Fact sheet 2: Clinical governance and the Aged Care Quality Standards
Describes the links between clinical governance and the Aged Care Quality Standards
Fact sheet 3: Core elements of clinical governance
Describes six core elements of clinical governance where action is needed
Fact sheet 4: Roles and responsibilities for clinical governance
Describes the main roles and responsibilities for different people working in an aged care service
Access these fact sheets within our Resource Library.
Toolkit
The clinical governance framework toolkit includes tools and a template for developing or reviewing a clinical governance framework:
Developing and implementing a clinical governance framework
Read this overview first, as it describes the steps to develop and implement a clinical governance framework
Organisational self-assessment tool 1: Aged care service and consumers
This tool provides an understanding of the aged care service and its consumers, and identifies key issues that will need to be addressed in the clinical governance framework
Organisational self-assessment tool 2: Clinical governance arrangements
This tool provides an understanding of existing clinical governance arrangements, where there might be gaps and opportunities for improvement
Clinical governance framework guide
This guide provides a structure and suggested content for a clinical governance framework that can be used by an aged care service.
Further resources about clinical governance will also be added to this page as they are developed.
Access these tool kits within our Resource Library.
Developing the clinical governance resources
The Commission’s clinical governance resources were developed with input and advice from a range of stakeholders.
Initial planning occurred with the Australian Government Department of Health and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
An iterative process of development was then undertaken with input from:
- Aged and Community Services Australia
- Aged Care Guild
- Aged Care Industry Association
- Aged Care Quality and Safety Advisory Council
- Australia and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine
- Australian College of Nursing
- Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
- Australian Government Department of Health
- Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency
- Australian Medical Association
- Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation
- Bankstown City Aged Care
- Catholic Health Australia
- COTA Australia
- Dementia Australia
- Leading Age Services Australia
- National Aged Care Alliance
- National Seniors Australia
- Older Persons Advocacy Network
- Presbyterian Aged Care NSW and ACT
- Resthaven
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
- Qualityworks
- Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission acknowledges and appreciates the time and input from these stakeholders.