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While the Australian Open Disclosure Framework was published almost 10 years ago in 2014, it is still not routinely applied in healthcare. In aged care, open disclosure has been a regulatory requirement since 1 July 2019, when the Aged Care Quality Standards came into effect - which purported to ‘clearly define what good aged care should look like’. Clinical governance under Standard 8 (on Organisational Governance) specifically requires the practice of open disclosure. But how is open disclosure relevant to clinical governance?

Clinical governance can be supported through effective regulatory design - and setting minimum standards. However, clinical governance is not just about compliance.

It has been acknowledged in the context of aged care reforms that an ‘improved approach to regulating aged care will go beyond compliance to foster a culture and practice of continuous improvement to deliver higher quality care that better supports the wellbeing of senior Australians.’ Indeed, clinical governance is aspirational, and a culture of continuous improvement should be embedded in any care organisation - not only at the point of care through to management, but also within the governing body.

Person-centred care in clinical governance requires partnership with consumers – this ‘recognises the value of the consumer's voice, and the need for consumer experience and expertise to help shape decisions about health care at the level of the system, service, and individual.’