At Plinth House, we recently completed a project with Bath Spa University to devise a bespoke Clinical Governance Framework for the University. BSU’s Clinical Governance Framework is a 48-page document, underpinned by a clear and accessible model of clinical governance.
We started this project by working with the University’s service and clinical leads to understand the arrangements that are in place across a wide range of areas such as clinical supervision, professional accreditation, risk management, insurance, casework escalation protocols and inward and external referral processes.
We produced the Clinical Governance Framework for the University, articulating the institution’s clinical governance arrangements in a clear, structured way – represented by a 3D spherical model.
The University’s highest-level measures (University-level arrangements) are represented by the outer layer, wrapped around all our other University activities. The model then moves through different layers towards the centre, where it features the University’s most detailed (casework-level) clinical governance arrangements.
BSU’s Clinical Governance Framework is a living document, designed to be updated over time as clinical governance arrangements are continuously improved. A new Clinical Governance Oversight Group at the University will maintain oversight of the Framework to ensure it remains fit for purpose.
Sara Gallagher, Head of Student Wellbeing Services at Bath Spa University, said of the project:
“It was a pleasure to work with Plinth House to create the University’s Clinical Governance Framework. We are grateful for the collaborative and thorough approach taken by colleagues at Plinth House throughout the project. The finished document provides an excellent overview for our services. It is a clear, professionally articulated encapsulation of our clinical governance arrangements, which has had immediate application in our work.”
Why is clinical governance important in universities and higher education providers?
Clinical governance is a longstanding concept in NHS and private healthcare settings. It is also seen as increasingly relevant to the higher education sector, given that most higher education institutions provide some forms of specialist or clinical support and liaise with external healthcare services to manage incoming or outgoing referrals.
Recent sector-wide developments have also placed clinical governance firmly on the agenda of HEIs. Sector-wide guidance, such as UMHAN’s Clinical Governance for Mental Health Services in Higher Education has focused attention on the importance of sound clinical governance in higher education.
The University Mental Health Charter (UMHC) further emphasises the importance of effective governance of support services, stating that, in a university context, “services such as counselling and mental health teams require appropriate clinical governance to ensure services remain safe, ethical and effective and make efficient use of resources.”
Should all higher education providers devise a Clinical Governance Framework?
How each higher education provider articulates their clinical governance arrangements will depend on their content and the nature of the support services they provide. We strongly recommend all providers give some thought to articulating their arrangements clearly and transparently.
This is not just to enable higher education providers to demonstrate these arrangements when it comes to an audit, UMHC Award submission or similar. More importantly, a well-articulated set of arrangements can be extremely helpful when it comes to giving all clinical staff a clear sense of the arrangements in place and ensure consistency of practice.
A document setting out clinical governance arrangements can also be useful when it comes to supporting the induction of new starters within clinical teams.
At Plinth House, we can support universities and other higher education providers to articulate their clinical governance arrangements, through projects large or small – depending on your context.
We can advise you on how to approach this project and take on more of a ‘critical friend’ role ourselves in supporting the process and supporting you with the editing process. Alternatively, as we did at Bath Spa University, we can take a more thorough overview of the process and draft and design a document for your consideration.
If you would like to discuss the types of support we can provide in this area, or with other aspects of student support, you are welcome to contact us via our website and we can arrange an initial, no obligation, conversation about what would work best in your context.