Clinical Governance

We are committed to delivering safe, effective, and person-centred care in line with the quality ambitions of Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the strategic priorities of NHS Lanarkshire.

Clinical governance is the system through which we are accountable for continuously improving the quality of our services, ensuring high standards of care, and creating an environment where excellence in clinical care can flourish.

We aim to:

• Deliver care that is safe, effective, and person-centred
• Embed a culture of continuous quality improvement
• Reduce harm and improve patient outcomes
• Ensure care is delivered in line with evidence-based standards (e.g. SIGN guidance)
• Actively involve patients in decisions about their care and service development
• Support a skilled, competent, and valued workforce

Our approach reflects the six dimensions of healthcare quality promoted in Scotland:

Safe Care

• Robust systems for incident reporting, Significant Event Analysis (SEA), and learning from adverse events
• Implementation of national patient safety alerts and guidance
• Safeguarding processes aligned with local Health and Social Care Partnership arrangements

Effective Care

• Delivery of care in line with SIGN and national clinical guidelines
• Participation in clinical audit and quality improvement cycles (Plan–Do–Study–Act methodology)
• Monitoring of clinical outcomes to support continuous improvement

Person-Centred Care

• Respecting individual preferences, needs, and values
• Supporting shared decision-making
• Actively seeking and responding to patient feedback, including complaints

Timely Care

• Ensuring patients can access care within appropriate timeframe
• Reviewing appointment systems and demand/capacity to improve access

Efficient Care

• Making best use of available resources
• Reducing waste and duplication
• Streamlining processes to improve patient pathways

Equitable Care

• Ensuring fair and consistent access to services for all patients
• Addressing health inequalities within the practice population

We ensure ongoing assurance and improvement through:

• Regular clinical governance meetings
• Structured quality improvement programmes
• Review of audits, incidents, complaints, and patient feedback
• Engagement with local NHS Lanarkshire governance structures where appropriate