Clinical Governance

Sengkang General Hospital Clinical Governance
Safety, Quality, Standards

Clinical Governance refers to the collective activity of monitoring and reviewing the quality of patient care, with the aim of continuous and sustainable improvement. In Sengkang General Hospital, Clinical Governance is founded upon our organisational mission and vision: to enrich the quality of life in the North-east by assisting in the delivery of holistic, informed and reassuring care in the community.

Clinical Review Programme:

The clinical review team reviews clinical notes and highlights issues related to patient safety and quality of care to the departments. The clinical review programme aims to improve patient care processes and is a mechanism to mitigate clinical risks and ensure that safeguards are in place against unacceptable standards of care.

Medication and Patient Safety:

Our medication and patient safety programme seeks to ensure zero harm in the delivery of care. Care processes are continuously reviewed and improved along with the monitoring of patient safety indicators.

Risk Management:

The team administrates the risk management system where near misses and incidents are reported. By advocating for an open reporting culture, we ensure that risks are identified at the earliest and practical mitigating measures are put in place.

Quality Management:

Quality Management designs and develops clinical pathways, protocols and guidelines which are evidence-based and guide best clinical care. Featured on electronic platforms, these pathways aid communication between teams and assist in decision making. The team also assists in evaluating the clinical aspects of care and supports departmental review for continuous improvement.

Quality Assurance:

The team coordinates quality assurance activities in accordance to the Private Hospital & Medical Clinics (PHMC) directives. These include Peer Review Learning sessions, Morbidity and Mortality sessions and the review of clinical incidents and serious reportable events. The team facilitates the implementation of recommendations and quality improvements arising from the reviews.

Statistics:

The statistics team provides information support for decision making in clinical areas and supports statistical analysis for research publications. Routine data extraction and analyses are conducted to ensure that the highest standards are maintained in the delivery of care.

Healthcare Performance Office:

The Healthcare Performance Office collaborates with Ministry of Health (MOH) to define priority areas, determine appropriate hospital-wide and specialty-based standards and indicators, and self-assessment checklists and surveys. The primary objective is to ensure that patients receive healthcare that is appropriate to their needs based on current evidence and clinical knowledge across the continuum of healthcare. This is achieved by benchmarking performance including patient outcomes against local and overseas healthcare institutions.

Clinical Privileging:

Clinical Privileging is responsible for determining and defining specific patient care services that each specialist is allowed to provide within the hospital. By according clinical privileges based on training and experience, clinical quality is assured in the delivery of patient care.

Policies and Procedures:

Clinical Governance works closely with respective department heads to periodically review policies and procedural guidelines. This ensures that they remain relevant and adequate for the assurance of patient safety.

Hospital Ethics Committee:

The Hospital Ethics Committee (HEC) assists in resolving ethical conflicts and issues affecting the management of patients. It seeks to support patient's autonomy and choice at times of treatment uncertainty. The HEC comprises clinicians, nurses, allied health professionals, GP partners, academics, ethicists and law professionals, hence ensuring that a multitude of perspectives have been considered when putting forth recommendations.