8 May 2012

New board will lead clinical governance

The newly established West Coast Health System Clinical Board today holds its first meeting, as a step towards providing stronger clinical leadership and clinical governance with the primary aim of ensuring safe, sustainable health care services on the Coast.

West Coast DHB Chief Executive David Meates says the Clinical Board has been formed in response to a need to ensure service provision is clinically led and delivered in a way that provides safe, sustainable and responsive health care to the Coast.

“The Clinical Board will be responsible for leading clinical governance in health care services provided, or funded, by the DHB. It is an over-arching Board that will provide leadership on quality and safety.

“It will work together will all the sectors of our health care system and bring together activity around quality improvement, safeguarding high standards of care and promoting clinical excellence.”

Mr Meates said the Clinical Board would be promoting a commitment to safety that permeated all levels of service provision.

“This means acknowledging the often high-risk nature of activities in the health sector and supporting a blame-free environment where individuals are able to report errors or near misses without fear of reprimand or punishment.

“It also sets an expectation of working together across ranks to seek solutions to ensure we deliver safe and sustainable health services, and a willingness to direct resources to safety concerns.

“The outcome should be a safer, much improved journey for the patient.”

Other objectives include promoting a culture of innovation, supporting the development of a skilled workforce, and sustaining a collaborative relationship with the Canterbury DHB.

The composition of the Clinical Board is being finalised but it will have about 20 members and the makeup will reflect the Board’s intended multidisciplinary and collaborative approach. The selection of Clinical Board chair will be discussed today and an appointment will be confirmed at the next meeting.

Sectors represented include primary and community care, aged care, Maori health services, mental health services, and public health, with a mix of clinicians and allied health providers as well as consumers.

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