Can clinical governance act as a cultural barometer?

The Francis report into failings at the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust highlighted systemic failures across the NHS, with major stakeholders failing to intervene. Nursing organisations, along with all nurse leaders, managers and nurses themselves, need to make changes in accordance with the report's findings and recommendations. We suggest that the last thing the profession needs now is another campaign to change the "system" or "systems of care delivery". This article highlights the importance of nurses sharing and learning from the Francis report and illustrates how clinical governance offers a framework for gauging and measuring the healthcare culture and caring environments using the "cultural health check".