National Model for Clinical Governance now available

A National Model for Clinical Governance is now available. Developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission), the national model provides contemporary, best practice governance guidance for acute health services, including day hospitals. The national model represents a significant change in how clinical governance is understood, led and embedded in health services, the Commission said.

“It shifts the main focus from complying with accreditation requirements to building the culture of the organisation to one in which delivery of high-quality care is the core focus of everyone in a health service, every day,” the Commission added. “The guidance emphasises the importance of workforce wellbeing, clinician engagement, and the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

Defining high-quality care as “person-centred, safe, effective, accessible and integrated, and provided in a way that is equitable, efficient and sustainable”, the Commission said the national model aims to elevate clinical governance to the highest level of organisational leadership and oversight — recognising that leadership is required to drive system-wide change.

At the 1 May Health Ministers’ Meeting, the Commission said all Australian Health Ministers urged public and private hospitals to implement the national model as part of national efforts to strengthen the safety and accountability of health care. “While many health services have been able to embed strong clinical governance in this changing environment, some have found it difficult to implement systems that engage the workforce and ensure that high-quality care for patients remains the central focus,” Commission CEO Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan said.

Designed for all types of acute healthcare delivery — including face-to-face and virtual care — and applying to different types of hospitals and locations — including in rural and remote Australia — the national model can be downloaded at www.safetyandquality.gov.au/resources/2026-national-model-clinical-governance.

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