This interactive workshop provides practical guidance on delivering effective, evidence‑based open disclosure in healthcare and aged care settings. Participants will explore the Australian Open Disclosure Framework and the role of open disclosure within clinical governance and quality improvement.  

Through case studies, discussion, and skills‑based activities, learners will build confidence in managing difficult conversations, demonstrating empathy, and responding to patient and family concerns when things go wrong.  

This is a 3‑hour training session. We acknowledge attendance and time spent in learning which may be used to apply for CPD points from your professional registration body. 

17 November 2026   |   11am-2pm AEDT Select

Registration

$190 AUD per person (ex GST)

Discounts are available at checkout:

- Staff from ACHS and ACHS International Member Organisations or Improvement Academy Affiliates receive 10% discount

- Group bookings of 3 or more people from the same organisation receive a 5% discount

Prices at the ticket selection and payment pages will include GST and invoices can be requested. Prices are subject to change.

Who is this course for?

  • Clinical leaders, including Directors of Nursing, Clinical Governance, and Patient Safety

  • Clinical Managers, Senior Nurses, and Medical Directors

  • Quality, Risk, and Safety Professionals

  • Frontline clinicians involved in patient care and adverse event response

  • Consumer, patient, and family representatives involved in service improvement

  • "Excellent module for all hospital workers. Great resources! Well facilitated."

    Previous course participant

  • "The supported training validated and concreted positive training leading to optimal outcomes for consumers and staff."

    Previous course participant

  • "Well presented and knowledgeable speaker with good interactions."

    Previous course participant

Learning Outcomes

  • Describe the Australian Open Disclosure Framework, including its key principles, legal context (e.g. Duty of Candour), and role within clinical governance.

  • Analyse common barriers to open disclosure and articulate the benefits for patients, families, clinicians, and organisations.

  • Apply the key steps of an effective, evidence‑based open disclosure process, including communication techniques such as apology, empathy, and active listening.

  • Explain how open disclosure integrates with incident management, root cause analysis (RCA), and quality improvement systems.

  • Evaluate and identify opportunities to strengthen open disclosure practices, including planning, documentation, follow‑up, and organisational support mechanisms.

Meet Your Presenter

Ms Sarah Michael

RN, Grad Dip Quality Management, GAICD

Sarah Michael is a Registered Nurse with over 45 years' experience in the health sector. Her career spans clinical practice as a registered nurse and intensive care manager, through to quality, clinical governance and management roles at hospital, health service and state levels, and consulting across Australia and New Zealand. From 2011 to 2024, Sarah was the Group General Manager of Clinical Governance and Safety at St Vincent's Health Australia, working across acute, sub-acute, public, private and aged care sectors. She now consults independently in the clinical governance space.

Sarah's expertise spans clinical governance, both strategic and operational, incident management and investigations, patient experience, policy development, organisational change, benchmarking and reporting, knowledge management, and quality and safety education and training.

Sarah contributed to the landmark Quality in Australian Health Care Study (MJA, 1995) and co-authored the chapter on Clinical Governance and Risk Management for Medical Administrators (Springer, 2023). In the early 2000s, she was part of the NSW Health team that developed and rolled out Australia's inaugural Root Cause Analysis program,  a cornerstone of incident management and systems-thinking investigation that remains in use nationally today, and a field she remains deeply passionate about.

Important Booking Information

  • Discounted Registration Fees

    Discounted fees are provided for ACHS and ACHSI Members and IA Affiliates. Please ensure your organisation is a current member of ACHS at the time of registration. If you are unsure of your organisation's membership status, please contact your Clinical Governance Unit.

  • Payments and Invoicing

    Please note that registrations for this event are managed by Eventbrite which accepts payment with credit or debit card. Registrants will receive an automated tax invoice/receipt once they have finalised their payment. This can be used for reimbursement purposes. Please contact us at [email protected] if you require an invoice for your organisation to pay registration fees.

  • Cancellation Policy

    The ACHS reserves the right to cancel any program. Full registration will be refunded if a program is cancelled or oversubscribed. Cancellations received in writing more than 7 days prior to the event will be accepted and all fees refunded less 10% (ex GST) of the total cost of the training. Cancellations advised in writing within 7 days of the event will not be refunded, however, transfer of your registration to another person in your organisation or an alternative IA event for the same value is supported.

  • Support

    If you have any enquiries, please contact us at [email protected]

Register Now

17 November 2026   |   11am-2pm AEDT Select

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