FAQ - Are clinical governance and health informatics part of the same team?

Answer

Clinical Governance

Clinical governance is the system through which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care, by creating an environment in which clinical excellence will flourish.

The classic definition of clinical governance is:

"A framework through which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish" - Scally and Donaldson (1998)

Informatics in clinical governance is more than just a data collection function.  Although quality data is important for the management and analysis of care quality, the electronic knowledge house on the clinician's desktop provides useful and useable access to evidence-based guidelines and clinical information.  For further information see Simpson & Robinson (2002).

As well as enabling data collection to help us reflect on our practice - a crucial part of clinical governance - the primary care clinical computer provides us with a range of tools to implement clinical governance. The clinical computer enables:-

• Access to up-to-date clinical knowledge and evidence
• Effective use of extelligence (that domain of knowledge that lies outside the clinician's own head)
• Facilitation of reflection on activity and practice
• Demonstration of excellence

Useful web resources are available under each of these key clinical governance topics.  Further information on Clinical Governance can be found here.

Review of Public Health Regulation

The Review of Public Health Regulation has been established to increase the confidence of both the public and professionals as to standards of competence, performance and conduct of the public health workforce.  The review will provide recommendations on future regulatory approaches.  It will report to the Chief Medical Officer for England in April 2010.

Disclaimer: This FAQ was written by Christopher Smith and does not reflect an official endorsement by the HEA or any other organisation.  Any questions of queries should be sent to:enquiries@medev.ac.uk

Last updated: 04 July 2011