The themes presented here purposefully focus on the governance of the clinical aspects of the care of older people in residential or home care. They also acknowledge that clinical care does not operate in a vacuum within aged care organisations. It is inevitably impacted by the quality and safety of care defined more generally, as well as the care environment, culture, and leadership. As with all care, good clinical care should be based on holistic, person-centred principles that recognise the individuality of people and the context in which they live. The clinical governance themes presented here will therefore be inclusive of more general, non-clinical care issues where they intersect with clinical outcomes.
Clinical governance themes
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission suggests there are six core, interrelated elements to be considered in establishing clinical governance to deliver high-quality clinical care. Each of these ‘themes’ covers one of these elements, describing its importance, potential enablers, and what success might look like.