Page 1 of 16 ANZAM 2011 Corporate and Clinical Governance in the Public Health Sector Context: Definitions and Issues Arising Deirdre Maxwell Northern District Health Board Support Agency, Auckland, New Zealand Email:
[email protected] Peter Carswell School of Population Health, University of Auckland, New Zealand Email:
[email protected] Page 1 of 1 ANZAM 2011 Page 2 of 16 Corporate and Clinical Governance in the Public Health Sector Context: Definitions and Issues Arising Abstract The health sector in many developed counties (i.e. United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand) continues to pursue two models of governance – corporate and clinical. At times these models are applied in an interdependent manner, often though they are applied independently of each other. This presents both possible synergies and tensions. This paper explores the concepts of both clinical and corporate governance and briefly examines their different foci. Doing so adds to a current gap in the health sector governance literature, i.e. the impact of different manifestations of governance (corporate and clinical) on advancing the overarching purpose of governance within the health sector. Keywords: Corporate governance, theories of governance, strategic leadership, accountability. Introduction The health sector in many developed counties (i.e. United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand) continues to pursue two models of governance – corporate and clinical (Barnett, Perkins & Powell, 2001; Harrison, 1998; Hood, 2002; Travaglia, Debono, Spigelman & Braithwaite, 2011). At times these models are applied in an interdependent manner, often though they are applied independently of each other. This presents both possible synergies and tensions. This paper, as the commencement of a piece of doctoral study, will explore the concepts of both clinical and corporate governance and briefly examine their different foci.