Ethics Guidance for Occupational Health Practice 9th Edition - Book - Page 19
2. Governance
Introduction
2.01. Governance is an activity that is important but can take effort and resource. The
societal benefits arising from good governance are that it promotes effective
risk management and so facilitates high quality and sustainable corporate
activity. It ensures that decisions at all levels of an organisation, are informed
by appropriate evidence backed data collection and stakeholder consultation.
Good
governance
inherently
provides
a
framework
for
the
investigation, analysis and reflection of significant adverse events to prevent
future events happening again and improving the quality of services.
2.02. In the context of the National Health Service (NHS), governance was first
defined as “the system through which NHS organisations are accountable for
continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high
standards of care, by creating an environment in which clinical excellence will
flourish”. 8 Within Occupational Health the 2023 SEQOHS Standards expect
“There is effective clinical governance, and compliance with evidence-based
guidelines, consensus-based guidelines, and professional requirements,
including the Faculty of Occupational Medicine’s (FOM) guidance on ethics.”
2.03. Governance is a broad discipline which applies to all aspects of the operation
of organisations. This may range from the application of corporate ethical
principles to the conduct of tendering, to financial reporting, to the use of
energy and onwards to the generation and disposal of waste. Publicly quoted
companies in the UK are required to report annually on how they have applied
the Combined Code on Corporate Governance 9 superseded by the Financial
Reporting Council in 2024, which is derived from the recommendations of the
Turnbull report of 1999. Similar provisions apply to businesses operating in the
USA by virtue of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 10 . Both regulatory tools seek to
promote 'best practice' by generating transparency, accountability and clear
communication.
2.04. Good governance applies to all aspects of occupational health practice. This
document will consider the three main areas; a) the individual occupational
health professional; b) the occupational health evidence base; and c)
occupational health business practice.
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