Clinical governance in the practice of anaesthesia

Abstract

Organisations assign responsibilities to job holders. Such responsibilities entail undertaking duties, making decisions and, ultimately, accounting for the outcomes related to the assigned duties. Accountability, in general, implies that one must explain or is held to account for something. Organisations further ensure that structures are in place to define the responsibilities for each area of work and for whom each manager is accountable. These hierarchies of responsibility can be termed “lines of accountability”.¹ In a healthcare environment, the notion of clinical governance has become an important means to ensure organisational accountability.¹ Clinical governance encompasses a framework or system through which healthcare organisations are accountable for the continuous quality improvement of the services they offer and always ensuring they deliver the highest quality of care.^1,2