- Board and Management commitment to and leadership of the total risk management function.
- The development, implementation and monitoring of risk management, as required by the Financial Management Act 1994, by the Audit & Compliance Committee.
- Details of the Service’s risk management activities are included in the Quality of Care Report produced annually.
- Compliance with relevant laws, regulations, codes of practice and policies is an essential element of risk management. The Service’s Compliance Program is detailed in Policy C-10.
- The establishment of a Clinical Governance framework, which includes:
- formal application of the risk management process to clinical practices.
- Employee participation and consultation in risk management.
- Formal mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of risk management strategies, plans and processes against industry best practice.
- Mechanisms in place to identify incidents and the timely notification, assessment and categorizing of such incidents without assigning blame.
- Preventative maintenance risk management process applied to the management of facilities, amenities and equipment.
Western District Health Service is committed to a philosophy that ensures that risk management is integral to its operational objectives, plans and systems. The Financial Management Act 1994 requires that the Service develop, implement and keep under review a risk management strategy (Clause 44B). Whilst legislative requirements provide a minimum standard, a risk management strategy for all aspects of the service is essential as a core function. It is therefore essential that implementation of the Risk Management Strategy reflects the following key principles: