Department of Health

Clinical risk management

Clinical risk management (CRM) improves the quality and safe delivery of healthcare by introducing systems that identify and prevent circumstances that put patients at risk of harm.

All health services are required to implement locally based clinical risk management systems, or to enhance their existing clinical risk management systems, in line with the Victorian clinical governance framework.

Health services are also required to implement an incident management review process consistent with best practice and their clinical governance policy, and in line with the Victorian health incident management policy.

Clinical governance framework

Victoria’s clinical governance framework ensures good clinical governance for the effective implementation of quality and safety improvement systems in health services.

Victorian Health Incident Management System

The Victorian Health Incident Management System is a standardised process for the collection, classification and notification of clinical incidents.

Investigation of clinical incidents

Clinical incident investigation aims to understand why and how an incident occurred, and to identify ways to prevent a recurrence.

Open disclosure following adverse events in health services

Open disclosure is the open communication that takes place between health practitioners and patient after an adverse event.

Sentinel events

Sentinel events occur independently of a patient's condition and result in unnecessary outcomes for the patient.

Reviewed 08 April 2022

Health.vic

In this topic

On this site

More information

Contact details

Quality and Safety Branch Department of Health GPO Box 4541, Melbourne, VIC 3001

Phone 03 9096 7258
Was this page helpful?