Training needs analysis for clinical governance: a practical example

To deliver high-quality care in line with the principles of clinical governance, health-care professionals must have certain core competencies. - In order to develop an effective training programme, health-care professionals engaged in direct patient care should be asked what competencies they need. - A useful framework for identifying training needs groups skills into four distinct domains: interpersonal; technical; professional accountability and development; and clinical care delivery. - Using this framework with a representative sample of clinicians can be an effective way in which to identify the core skills required to deliver quality care, to highlight gaps in current training provision and to develop competency-based training to fill these gaps.