A new National Model for Clinical Governance1 has been developed to support public and private hospitals to deliver better outcomes for patients.
The model has been designed for all types of acute healthcare delivery, including face-to-face and virtual care, amid mounting pressures on the health system.
Developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, it provides a definition of high-quality care and describes the six foundations of clinical governance required to achieve this care:
- Leading systems and organisational culture,
- Partnering with patients, carers, and consumers,
- Building a healthy workforce culture,
- Enabling high-quality and integrated clinical practice,
- Managing and reducing risk, and
- Using data for better care.
The Commission described the new national model as “a significant change in how clinical governance is understood, led and embedded in health services”.
The system is under continued pressure from workforce shortages, growing demand for health care, the need for environmentally sustainable care, changing patterns of disease, and constrained resources
It shifts the main focus from complying with accreditation requirements to building the culture of the organisation to one in which delivery of high-quality care is the core focus of everyone in a health service, every day. The guidance emphasises the importance of workforce wellbeing, clinician engagement, and the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Commission CEO Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan said the model positions Australia at the forefront globally on clinical governance, which is central to providing the best possible outcomes for patients – and ultimately reducing the risk of harm from adverse events.
“Australia needs a unified national approach to clinical governance to steer the health system towards providing high-quality care in the face of evolving challenges,” she said.
“The system is under continued pressure from workforce shortages, growing demand for health care, the need for environmentally sustainable care, changing patterns of disease, and constrained resources.”
Prof Duggan said health services that implement the national model will be primed to meet current challenges, with a framework to harness opportunities and manage the risks of new models of care and technologies, such as artificial intelligence.
The Commission said the national model was developed through rigorous consultation with the health sector, with best practice corporate governance guidance “synthesised” and applied to healthcare settings.
Reference
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2026 National Model for Clinical Guidance, available at: safetyandquality.gov.au/clinical-topics/clinical-governance/national-model [accessed June 2026].
