New framework for surgical clinical governance launched

A new “comprehensive” national framework designed to strengthen patient safety, accountability and quality improvement across surgical services in Ireland, was published today.

A Framework for Surgical Clinical Governance, was launched by the RCSI following work by the College’s Expert Group on Best Practice in Clinical Governance Surgical Leadership.

Aligned with international best practice, the framework is intended for use across public, voluntary and independent healthcare settings. It outlines four key domains – morbidity and mortality meetings, multidisciplinary team engagement, patient safety and clinical audit, and the governance of innovation, research and new technologies – which are “central to the safe and effective governance of surgical care”.  

The framework provides a “governance maturity model” which surgical services can use to assess the extent to which their governance arrangements are embedded, reliable and integrated within the wider hospital system, and in planning progressive improvement over time. 

Professor Deborah McNamara, President of the RCSI said, “surgeons are privileged to care for people at some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. With that privilege comes the profound responsibility to learn from our experiences, as enabled by safe, transparent and learning-oriented surgical governance.”

“High-quality surgical care depends on strong clinical governance, clear accountability and a culture of continuous learning,” continued Prof McNamara. 

“The public have the right to high quality and safe surgical care. This framework is RCSI’s constructive contribution to the national effort to improve patient safety and support our surgical workforce, providing practical guidance for surgeons, clinical leaders and healthcare organisations to support patient safety and improve outcomes. In particular, the use of the governance maturity model will support our hospitals in reflecting on the areas of improvement they need to prioritise.” 

Mr David Moore, Chair of the Expert Group on Best Practice in Clinical Governance in Surgery and RCSI Council Member, said: “Surgical teams across Ireland are committed to delivering safe, effective care, often under significant pressure. This framework is designed to support that work by providing a clear, consistent structure for governance that is clinically led, evidence-informed and focused on learning and improvement. Our aim is to help surgical services strengthen governance in a way that is practical and sustainable.” 

The framework is now available on the RCSI website here.