ABSTRACT
The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) independent reviews of clinical governance in over 300 National Health Service (NHS) trusts across the United Kingdom (UK) between 2000 and 2003 identified considerable deficits in Allied Health Professions (AHP) arrangements. Healthcare has become a universal political priority as a result of its impact on national economy, the risks to health shared by the community, and a moral responsibility for equity of care within societies regarded as developed. The welfare-style NHS, created in 1948 to meet these economic, social and moral requirements, typified the expectations of the British post-war culture. The 1997 reforms aimed to make the NHS ‘modern and dependable’ with statutory responsibility for clinical performance allocated to chief executives. The Clinical Governance Support Team was established to help organisations implement clinical governance, offering support, information and lessons learnt across the country. CHI selected trusts for clinical governance review by using a structured sampling technique to ensure geographic spread.
