Programme
Tuesday, 17th November 2009
Registration and refreshments
Introduction and welcome from the Chair
The Care Quality Commission and regulation
With the Care Quality Commission now in place as the independent regulator of health and social care, a new era of regulation lies ahead that will dramatically change the shape of NHS governance.
While new regulation promises to drive up the quality of whole care pathways, this step change in regulation will test even the most robust governance systems. What will this mean for individual NHS governance systems? And how do other regulators, such as the Audit Commission and Monitor fit into the new governance equation?
Quality assurance
Having sound quality assurance frameworks is the cornerstone of all good governance systems. These frameworks must not only be extremely comprehensive, but meticulously adhered to.
The right information must be collected to inform decision making at all levels and rigorously test governance systems to safeguard against failure. But what does good quality assurance look like? And how do you engage and empower the right people in the use of quality assurance frameworks to transform written policy into practice?
Get to grips with the basics of quality assurance, understand how it works in practice and master the key ingredients to securing successful quality assurance in your organisation.
Question and answer session
Morning refreshments
Clinical, corporate and information governance
NHS governance can be viewed on many levels and separated into a number of strands which each perform vital and differing functions and pose their own unique challenges. Clinical, corporate and information governance are three of the most widely recognised sub-sets of governance within the NHS.
Comprehending what each of these entail is essential to securing an understanding of NHS governance as a whole. What exactly are the key challenges, common problems and priorities for clinical, corporate and information governance? Explore how each of these important areas of NHS governance map across the organisation and gain a solid understanding of the critical role they each play.
Integrated governance
Integrated governance is the system through which all strands of NHS governance can be linked, and any overlap between these strands eliminated. This integration of governance is to provide increased clarity and accountability throughout the entire organisation through the streamlining of systems and simplification of information for board level decision making.
But what are the fundamental differences between the historic systems of controls assurance, risk management and clinical governance, and the new framework of integrated governance? What are the best tools to use when implementing integrated governance?
Develop an understanding of how integrated governance works and what good integrated governance looks like in practice.
Question and answer session
Lunch
Board level development
Charged with steering the culture and development of the organisation; delivering quality services and commercial success; accountable to and for patients, staff and the public – NHS boards are too often overburdened and under-resourced. But how do you identify the development requirements of an NHS board? What are the different tools available for board level development? And what are the unique development requirements of Non-Executive board members?
Learn about the important role the board plays in governance and understand the differing development requirements faced by board members. Determine what more can be done – both by board members themselves and external support - to develop board level competencies.
PCT governance
Managing their local health economies and commissioning quality services to meet local community needs, PCTs must balance many delicate tensions. With the commissioner/provider split, PCTs and provider services face many unique governance challenges. What are the accountability issues around Arms Length services?
Once provider services are contractually separated from PCTs, what will governance systems look like? And what additional challenges does the World Class Commissioning agenda bring for PCT boards?
See how PCT governance fundamentally differs from other types of NHS governance, how different models of managing provider services impact on governance and understand the governance implications of the multiplicity of the PCT function.
Senior Representative, Enfield PCT
Question and answer session
Afternoon refreshments
FT governance
The freedoms which come with Foundation Trust status enable a greater ability to be responsive to local community needs, but mark new and distinctive demands on Trust governance systems. Most notably, new demands on corporate governance and the introduction of a board of governors requires a departure from traditional governance models and the adoption of new ways of working.
But what is the role of governors? And how do they alter existing governance frameworks? Explore the new challenges FT governance brings, particularly around corporate governance, and firm-up your understanding of the new roles and relationships generated within governance under FT status.
Governance between organisations
Having sound governance of patient pathways requires robust governance systems which align with those of other organisations, be they NHS or otherwise, across the patient journey. Governance between organisations presents immense challenges and requires an increase in the accountability and transparency of systems.
What are the key challenges of governance between organisations? And how can these challenges be overcome to ensure that cross-organisational governance systems are sound? Get to grips with what you need to know about governance between organisations, from individual patient pathways through to large scale emergency planning.
