Involvement of patients in Clinical Governance

Clinical Governance is a framework through which the National Health Service (NHS) organisations in the UK are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish. The NHS has moved on from being an organisation that simply delivered services to people, to being a service that is totally patient-led and responds to their needs and wishes. There are numerous national drivers and initiatives for patient involvement, including the NHS Plan 2000, Involving Patients and public in healthcare 2001 and, more recently, Creating a patient-led NHS 2005 and Patient choice 2005. There is also an independent public body funded by the Department of Health, the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH), which supports and enables patient involvement in local decisions about delivery of healthcare. At Luton & Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust, patients and carers are seen as a valuable resource and there are formal mechanisms for recruiting patient representatives to sit on hospital committees and to be involved in service provision, including Clinical Governance arrangements.