Clinical Governance Programme
Course Overview
Healthcare organisations have a duty to the communities they serve for maintaining the quality and safety of care. Whatever structures, systems and processes an organisation puts in place, it must be able to show evidence that standards are upheld. There must be policies, procedures, and tools to manage vendors, visitors, service providers, contractors, or anyone entering a facility to ensure that they fully comply with policies and requirements. An organisation whose governance abilities fall short in this area faces stiff penalties and fines.
Good clinical governance must support the early identification of risks and concerns that lead to individual, team, and wider organisational learning.
The aims and objectives of this programme are to improve healthcare professionals’ awareness of clinical governance and implement the necessary changes in their organisation. Join us to understand and implement the 7 pillars of clinical governance and improve your care.
At a glance
This course offers an in-depth analysis of clinical governance and its essential role in delivering high-quality, safe, and effective healthcare. Learners will define clinical governance and explore its core principles: accountability, continuous improvement, and patient safety; while understanding how these principles form the foundation of broader healthcare quality assurance frameworks. Key models such as the NHS Clinical Governance Framework, the Seven Pillars of Clinical Governance, and international standards will be examined. This will illustrate how good governance supports transparency, ethical leadership, and performance monitoring.
Learners will evaluate how governance functions in their own professional environments, using reflective practices and real-world case studies. This analysis will help identify strengths and areas for development within current systems, while also exploring the influence of leadership, policy, and organisational culture on healthcare quality and decision-making.
The course equips learners with practical tools and strategies to lead clinical governance initiatives effectively. From risk management and audit processes to multidisciplinary team engagement, this toolkit supports participants in driving clinical excellence and sustainable improvement. By the end of the course, learners will be able to design and implement tailored, evidence-informed action plans that enhance governance practices, improve patient outcomes, and foster a culture of continuous learning and accountability.
Who Should Attend?
The programme has been designed for current or aspiring managers and team leaders operating in an NHS or healthcare setting. If you are, or aspire to be, a team leader, mid-level manager or individual who plays an active role in ensuring the delivery of governance or CQC outcomes within your team or department, this programme will be beneficial.
Delegates attend an initial 2-day classroom / virtual classroom module led by one of our experienced facilitators with healthcare and governance backgrounds.
During the classroom / virtual classroom phase delegates will:
- Define clinical governance
- Explore the seven pillars that support clinical governance
- Contextualise how clinical effectiveness, learning effectiveness and risk management underpin clinical governance
- Discuss the importance of delivering high-quality care per local and national guidance
- Reflect on your personal role in clinical governance and healthcare service delivery
- Understand how the clinical governance framework supports and facilitates quality improvement activities in the healthcare sector
- Consider the principles of safety and quality improvement in healthcare
- Investigate the best way to prepare for a CQC inspection
- Look at clinical governance arrangements as a key aspect of CQC inspections
- Identify actions that can be undertaken to improve clinical governance and CQC readiness in the learner’s own context
Facilitated Learning Group 1
Approximately 4-6 weeks after the classroom / virtual classroom module learners attend a 2.5-hour learning group session facilitated by a course tutor. This gives learners the opportunity to discuss the steps taken to date to progress their governance and CQC action plans. Learners will share successes and take time to problem solve any barriers to implementation they have faced and amend their implementation plans.
Facilitated Learning Group 2
Approximately 4-6 weeks after module 2 learners attend a further 2.5-hour facilitated learning session. The second session gives learners a further opportunity to explore and discuss the progress of their governance and CQC action plans and overcome any barriers to delivering tangible outcomes in their operational team area of responsibility.
- Be able to define clinical governance and understand its significance in promoting good healthcare
- Be aware of the frameworks used to define good governance
- Reflect critically on the operation of governance in their own settings
- Acquire a toolkit to enable their leadership of clinical governance in their own context
- Develop action plans to positively impact their contribution to clinical governance
Elizabeth Mcmanus
Elizabeth is a highly experienced Executive with a track record of delivery during 20 years as a Director serving on five different Boards combined with a wider 38 years NHS experience gained in acute, community and national organisations. Alongside having served as Chief Nurse for 15 years in two very different acute settings, she also has significant experience as a Chief Executive of two acute trusts and in wider settings such as operations, transformation and improvement.
Her Board experience has seen her work alongside many colleagues and leaders at all levels during times of large scale delivery and policy changes. She has played a key role in the successful management of significant organizational change, which includes a number of mergers or acquisitions of a scale and complexity which offered significant challenge on many levels.
Despite her broad experience, she is first and foremost proud to be a nurse and work in the NHS. She is passionate about patient care and works hard to engage professionals, public and education to deliver the highest possible standards. She has also learned a lot about resilience in her years as an Executive. She has thick skin yet remains open to learning about how to be the best leader and manager in the increasingly demanding world of healthcare.
Communication and developing relationships are her personal forte. She is by nature optimistic yet pragmatic, which she believes are critical to leadership roles in the NHS.
Hilary Garratt
Professor Hilary Garratt CBE, PhD (Hon), BSc, MSc, RGN, SCPHN (RHV), PGCE is currently a Non- Executive Director for one of the largest NHS Integrated Care Boards in England, and also an accredited Senior Executive Coach and Mentor. In both roles she works with individuals and organisations at the system level to support learning, development, growth, and continuous improvement.
She has recently retired after 40 years of working within the NHS, holding a number of executive director posts across both commissioning and provider organisations in addition to holding deputy chief executive posts for both, and having spent the last 10 years as the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England.
Hilary has led the implementation of a range of national and professional priorities that focused on safeguarding vulnerable people, safeguarding improvements and programmes to support the professional development and leadership of clinical professionals. In the 2017 New Years Honours for services to nursing she was awarded a CBE for her national work in safeguarding some of the most vulnerable people in society. In 2019 Hilary was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Salford University and a Visiting Professor position from Chester University. In 2022, Hilary was made a Fellow of the Queens Nursing Institute, and in 2023 was made an Honorary Professor at Salford University.
