Boards understanding their role in developing the right culture

Boards should set the tone in how they react to incidents and learn from their mistakes; they must be committed to transparency, demonstrate curiosity, and be open to challenge. They should be clear about how they account for quality to service users, the public and regulators. There should be a balance between internal and external focus and between strategy and operations.

A board that promotes the right culture of care can provide feedback and challenge to senior clinicians, and is able to devolve to clinical teams within a strong governance framework.

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