A performance audit into whether health services’ systems and processes assure quality and safe care has found they didn’t ensure consistent care.
Auditor-General, Andrew Greaves said his Report Clinical Governance: Health Services, examined Ballarat Health Services, Djerriwarrh Health Services, Melbourne Health and Peninsula Health as a representative selection of Victorian public health services.
“Health services’ systems and processes do not consistently ensure they are providing high quality and safe patient care,” Mr Greaves said.
“None of the audited health services investigate all serious incidents promptly and only one acts on recommendations in a timely way to prevent safety risks recurring,” he said.
Mr Greaves said that in 2016, an independent review, known as Targeting Zero, assessed how the then Department of Health and Human Services oversaw the quality and safety of patient care across the State and made many recommendations to improve the sector.
“Over four years since Targeting Zero, some health services are still not fully ‘living’ their local clinical governance frameworks,” he said.
“By not prioritising and engaging in this work, they are not doing enough to improve patient safety.”
Mr Greaves said differences in progress between the four health services related to the differences in their size and, consequently, their resources and the maturity of their systems to deliver quality and safe care.
He made 18 recommendations aimed at ensuring health services implement their local clinical governance frameworks; improve their patient safety culture; and enhance the quality of safety and performance reporting to health service boards.
The Auditor-General’s 88-page Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
