Reform in Focus: Provider Governance Policy, A Clinical Facilitator’s Role in Leading Quality.

Clinical Facilitators Network: Reform Series

Overview:

As aged care reform accelerates toward the 2025 Quality Standards, Provider Governance is under sharp review. While governance is not just a board level concern, it must also be top priority at the point of care.

In this article, we explore how Clinical Facilitators can support and shape governance through daily practice, team development, and quality leadership.

Team collaborating while reviewing policy and procedure guidelines.

What’s Changing?

The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards (2025) place a strong focus on governance structures, leadership accountability, and consumer voice. Providers must demonstrate:

• Effective governance arrangements that protect care recipients

• Qualified, accountable leadership

• Transparent risk management and decision-making

• Inclusion of consumers in organisational decisions

Why This Matters to Clinical Facilitators

Clinical Facilitators are key players in operationalising governance at clinical/support level as you:

• Supervise and mentor frontline staff

• Promote evidence-based, ethical care

• Uphold dignity, rights, and transparency

• Monitor the impact of decisions on consumer outcomes

As a Clinical facilitator, you are the link between policy and practice.

Key Action Areas for Clinical Facilitators

Governance Focus	What Clinical Facilitators Can Do
Organisational Accountability	Integrate governance principles into training, supervision, and reflective sessions
Consumer Voice	Champion person-centred feedback in service reviews and decision-making
Ethical Leadership	Promote open conversations about responsibility, risk, and dignity in care
Workforce Capability	Identify gaps in staff understanding of policies, and provide targeted coaching
Evidence of Good Practice	Capture examples of decision-making, improvement, and consumer involvement for audits

 Reflective Prompt:

“What does good governance look like in our everyday work, and how do we demonstrate it even when no one is watching?”

 Final Thought

Governance is not just about policy, it is about how people work, lead, and care. Clinical Facilitators shape the culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement through:

• Educated teams

• Honest conversations

• Evidence informed leadership

Clinical facilitators have a great opportunity to lead with purpose and contribute to preparing the sector for what is next.

 Coming Up Next in the Series:

 Care Delivery Action Tool: Using Reflection to Improve Everyday Practice

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