The first board meeting of the National Office of Clinical Audit took place on Thursday, 20 September 2012. The meeting was chaired by Professor Paddy Broe, President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). The NOCA Governance Board is an independent voluntary board which has been convened to guide the clinical decision making and strategic direction of NOCA.

The NOCA Board will have the authority to issue directions to the NOCA Management as it affects NOCA and its various clinical audit streams. They will ensure that NOCA administrative processes comply with all legal and statutory requirements. The Governance Board will ensure that NOCA adheres to the highest standards of corporate and social responsibility. Their ultimate responsibility will be to agree and sign off on all published annual reports of national clinical audits managed under NOCA. 

Duty of care

Should the NOCA Governance Board become aware of poor professional performance (Medical Practitioners Act 2007) or process which has not been satisfactorily addressed through the audit cycle, they will have a duty of care to communicate through the relevant channels available, and specifically, to the National Director of Quality and Patient Safety, HSE, to ensure immediate action is taken while steps are taken to improve knowledge or skill or both to ensure patient safety.

Membership

First Chair, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland President	Prof. Paddy Broe
HSE, Quality and Patient Safety Directorate	Dr Philip Crowley
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland	Prof. Sean Tierney
The College of Anaesthetists of Ireland President	Dr Ellen O'Sullivan
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland	TBC
Irish Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery	Mr David Moore
Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine of Ireland	Dr Dermot Phelan
Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ireland	Prof. Robert Harrison
Independent Hospitals Association of Ireland	Prof. Gregor Shanik
Office of Nursing and Midwifery Directorate	Ms Maureen Flynn
Public Representative	Dr Danny O'Hare
NOCA Clinical Director	Mr Ken Mealy
NOCA Manager	Ms Fiona Cahill

It was agreed through initial collaboration between HSE and RCSI that the President of RCSI would take the position of first Chair.

Opening the inaugural NOCA Governance Board Meeting, Professor Broe, President, RCSI welcomed the Board Members and highlighted the importance of their individual and collective contribution in providing support and strategic direction to national clinical audit. He commended Dr Philip Crowley and the HSE Quality and Patient Safety Directorate for recognising the importance of the individual audit streams and supporting the establishment of NOCA to provide sustainable governance for each of them.