title: Enacting corporate governance of healthcare safety and quality: a dramaturgy of hospital boards in England.
abstract: The governance of patient safety is a challenging concern for all health systems. Yet, while the role of executive boards receives increased scrutiny, the area remains theoretically and methodologically underdeveloped. Specifically, we lack a detailed understanding of the performative aspects at play: what board members say and do to discharge their accountabilities for patient safety. This article draws on qualitative data from overt non-participant observation of four NHS hospital Foundation Trust boards in England. Applying a dramaturgical framework to explore scripting, setting, staging and performance, we found important differences between case study sites in the performative dimensions of processing and interpretation of infection control data. We detail the practices associated with these differences--the legitimation of current performance, the querying of data classification, and the naming and shaming of executives--to consider their implications.
authors.affiliation: Leadership, Work and Organisation, Middlesex University, UK.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.affiliation: Health Services Management Centre, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.affiliation: Health Services Management Centre, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mannion
authors.affiliation: School of Management, University of St. Andrews, UK.
authors.forename: Huw
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D004739:England; D006075:Governing Board / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000592:standards*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D012449:Safety; D012962:Sociology, Medical; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards
keywords: National Health Service (NHS); governance; safety