Clinical Governance in Aged Care: A Reflective Workplace Report

This report provides a reflective account of clinical governance within the Greenview Aged Care facility, a Signature class Home of the Allity Group. The author explores the implementation of clinical governance principles, including transparent accountability, high standards of care, and continuous improvement. The report details how the workplace prioritizes resident wellbeing, individual needs, and meaningful living experiences. It highlights the seven pillars of clinical governance and the roles of team members in maintaining them. The author concludes that continuous professional development and education are key to achieving effective clinical governance, emphasizing the facility's commitment to individualized care and resident respect. The report references various sources to support the analysis and includes figures illustrating the workplace environment and leadership team.

Running head: CLINICAL GOVERNANCE
Assessment Task 1
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction- Clinical governance refers to the systematic approach that
encompasses maintenance and improvement of the quality of care delivered to patients,
within National Health Service, (NHS) (Van Zwanenberg & Edwards, 2018). The concept of
clinical governance gained importance in the year 1995, following the Bristol heart scandal
when several babies died after being subjected to cardiac surgeries, due to lack of adequate
leadership, and shortage of staff. This essay will be a reflective account of the clinical
governance present at the Greenview Aged Care, Allity Group, the place where I work.
Clinical governance at my workplace- I work at the aged and palliative care setting
of the Greenview Aged Care facility that is located in the eastern suburb of Melbourne. My
workplace is considered one of the best institutions that offers comprehensive aged care
related accommodation to several people and is a Signature class Home, of the Allity Group.
Clinical governance has often been defined as the framework that allows the organisations to
hold their accountability for recurrently refining the quality of their facilities and conserving
high values of care by generating an atmosphere in that facilitates clinical care excellence
(Dehnavieh et al., 2013). My working experience in this organisation has helped me realise
that the Greenview Aged Care works towards augmenting the experience of all its service
users by taking into account their demands and necessities, thus enhancing their living
experiences, providing a secured space for living, and projecting the warmth of a graceful
home. Owing to the fact that this facility shows a commitment towards all the service users
and strives to make their day the best, provides sufficient evidence for an effective clinical
governance (Allity.com.au, 2018).
Recognise clinical governance- My workplace is indeed a setting where the residents
are given the opportunity to continue sharing their daily experiences, while maintaining a
rewarding and active lifestyle that helps them lead a purposeful and meaningful life.
Furthermore, we also hold the belief that regardless of the phase of life, everybody has the

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capability of enjoying inspiring experiences. According to the Decision Making
Frameworks (DMF) all nurses and midwives are expected to recognise the needs and
benefits of the clients by conducting comprehensive assessments, followed by reflection on
the scope of practice, and consideration of organisational support (NMBA, 2013). As nurses,
we are also provided with an opportunity in Greenview Aged Care where we are expected to
focus on four key consumer principles namely, (1) caring about client wellbeing, (2) making
it an easy living for them, (3) understanding their exclusive needs, and (4) assisting them
experience a sense of fulfilment in the facility (Allity.com.au, 2018). Moreover, my
workplace also has several features that enhances the living of the service users such as,
provisions for entertainment and technology, lifestyle, dining facilities, and different elective
services. Thus, it takes all possible efforts for improving of the quality of care.
Clinical governance pillars and principles- The three major attributes of clinical
governance include transparent accountability and responsibility for standards, high standards
related to care, and continuous improvement (Keramat, Olfati, Asefzadeh & Changizi, 2017).
The same are present in my workplace where the organisation is striving towards
accomplishing its primary vision that focuses on a\making every day the best in all possible
forms. The facility also displays a commitment for safeguarding the values of integrity,
respect, accountability, passion, innovation, and teamwork.
According to Tabrizi, Pourasghar and Nikjoo (2016) there are seven different domains
that are considered the pillars of clinical governance such as, (i) risk management, (ii) service
user, public and carer involvement, (iii) clinical audit, (iv) clinical effectiveness, (v) staff
management, (vi) education and training, and (vii) clinical information. Different members
who form a part of the leadership team are continually involved in maintaining these pillars
for the uplifting the organisation and its service users. During my tenure at the Greenview
Aged Care, I found that different team members are accountable for a range of clinical

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governance duties such as, leadership, financial advice, development of customer service
standards, partnering with businesses, enabling strategic planning projects, implementing best
practice methodologies, ensuring optimum clinical effectiveness, and collaborating with
industry bodies (Allity.com.au, 2018). Hence, I can say that all the team members at my
workplace have a sound understanding of clinical governance and its utility and always try to
implement it in their practice.
Conclusion- My work at the Greenview Aged Care helped me gain a sound
understanding of the different aspects of clinical governance that must be followed by
healthcare facilities. I realised that my workplace believes in instilling a philosophy that
focuses on individualised care and also strives to create an environment where all the
residents are respected and valued. Thus, continuous professional development and education
are some of the key attributes that have allowed the Greenview Aged Care achieve clinical
governance.

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References
Allity.com.au. (2018). Allity- ABOUT US. Retrieved from https://www.allity.com.au/vision-
and-values.
Allity.com.au. (2018). Greenview aged care- Living at Allity. Retrieved from
https://www.allity.com.au/Content/UserUploaded/Facilities/1046/greenview-aged-
care.pdf.
Allity.com.au. (2018). GREENVIEW AGED CARE. Retrieved from
https://www.allity.com.au/locations/greenview-aged-care/features.
Allity.com.au. (2018). Leadership Team. Retrieved from
https://www.allity.com.au/leadership-team.
Dehnavieh, R., Ebrahimipour, H., Jafari Zadeh, M., Dianat, M., Noori Hekmat, S., &
Mehrolhassani, M. H. (2013). Clinical governance: The challenges of implementation
in Iran. International Journal of Hospital Research, 2(1), 1-10. Retrieved from
http://ijhr.iums.ac.ir/index.php/index/journal/journal/article_3871_d16bc98fbb96db4e
25b3ad4374a4ff3e.pdf
Keramat, A., Olfati, F., Asefzadeh, S., & Changizi, N. (2017). A Model for Safe Delivery
Based on Clinical Governance. Journal of Hospital, 16(2), 58-69. Retrieved from
http://jhosp.tums.ac.ir/article-1-5545-en.html
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2013). Decision-making framework
(DMF). Retrieved from https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/codes-
guidelines-statements/frameworks.aspx.
Tabrizi, J. S., Pourasghar, F., & Nikjoo, R. G. (2016). Primary health care governance pillars
and components in developed countries, a systematic review. International Journal of

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Pharmacy and Technology. Retrieved from
http://dspace.tbzmed.ac.ir:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/57412
Van Zwanenberg, T., & Edwards, C. (2018). Clinical governance in primary care. In Clinical
Governance in Primary Care (pp. 17-30). CRC Press. Retrieved from
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315375687/chapters/10.1201%2F9781315
375687-2

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Appendix
Figure 1- Living at Allity Aged Care
Source- (Allity.com.au, 2018)

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Figure 2- Leadership team
Source- (Allity.com.au, 2018)