Quality assurance across the Castle Health inpatient network
Clinical governance is the framework that holds healthcare providers accountable for the quality and safety of the care they deliver.
At our residential rehabs, Castle Craig (Scotland) and Smarmore Castle (Ireland), our clinical governance framework is independently inspected, ISO 9001 accredited, and applied consistently.
- 31 Years of continuous ISO 9001 accreditation – held by Castle Craig since 1995
- 2 International accreditations – ISO 9001:2015 at both Castle Craig and Smarmore Castle
- 4 Regulatory bodies oversee Castle Health's services across the UK and Europe.
What is clinical governance and why does it matter?
Clinical governance is a system that holds healthcare organisations accountable for improving service quality and maintaining high care standards. It covers everything from how the organisation trains and supervises staff, to how it manages risks, to how patient feedback shapes the service over time.
A strong clinical governance framework helps ensure their care is safe, evidence-based, and consistent.
This applies across all services in the network.
For referring clinicians, insurers, and commissioners, clinical governance is also the key external indicator of provider quality.
Castle Health’s clinical governance framework
Castle Health operates a network-wide clinical governance framework that applies to every inpatient and outpatient service we run. The principles underpinning that framework are consistent across the Castle Health network, even where the specific regulators and legal requirements vary by country.
Across the Castle Health network, our clinical governance objectives are:
Patients centred care
Patient care is the most important responsibility we hold, and every governance process is designed around that principle.
Evidence-based treatment
We deliver evidence-based addiction treatment, grounded in current clinical research and reviewed regularly against best practice.
High standards of clinical care
We maintain consistently high standards across all services, with shared clinical protocols and procedures that are regularly reviewed.
Patient and staff safety
Risk management, incident reporting, and safeguarding sit at the heart of every clinical decision.
Continuous improvement
We are committed to clinical audit, continuous improvement, and the active promotion of clinical excellence across the network.
Network-wide oversight
Group clinical leadership oversees consistency of standards across all inpatient and outpatient services, drawing learning across the network rather than treating each clinic in isolation.
Castle Craig, Scotland
Castle Craig is registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), the public regulator of independent healthcare in Scotland. Castle Craig is inspected by HIS on a regular cycle, and inspection reports are publicly available.
Castle Craig also holds ISO 9001:2015 accreditation through Intertek UKAS, with continuous certification since 1995. The hospital is a member of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network and holds further independent recognition through ISCAS (the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service) and TriCare certification.
For the full detail on Castle Craig’s clinical governance arrangements, inspection history, and accreditations – including the latest HIS inspection report – please see Castle Craig’s dedicated clinical governance page.
Smarmore Castle, Ireland
Smarmore Castle holds CHKS accreditation, an international quality mark awarded for adherence to international best practice, legislation, and regulatory standards. CHKS accreditation is granted following comprehensive external assessment by senior healthcare professionals, and is recognised by regulators, insurers, and referring clinicians internationally.
Smarmore Castle also holds ISO 9001:2015 accreditation through Intertek, covering medical, nursing, and administrative procedures alongside management, training, and supervision of staff. The clinic operates quarterly clinical governance meetings to review quality control and risk management, with patient satisfaction surveys feeding directly into the review process.
For the full detail on Smarmore Castle’s clinical governance arrangements and accreditations, please see Smarmore Castle’s dedicated clinical governance page.
Outpatient services
Castle Health offers outpatient addiction treatment services across the UK and Europe. Because outpatient services operate in different countries, they sit under different regulatory frameworks. We believe it’s important to be open about this, rather than implying a single unified inspectorate covers our entire outpatient offering.
The regulators that oversee our outpatient services include:
- Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) – inpatient services in Scotland
- Caspe Healthcare Knowledge Systems (CHKS) – inpatient services in Ireland
- Inspektionen för vård och omsorg (IVO) – outpatient services in Sweden
- Inspectie Gezondheidszorg en Jeugd (IGJ) – outpatient services in the Netherlands
Across all jurisdictions, our outpatient services apply the same Castle Health clinical governance framework set out above – the same patient-first principles, evidence-based treatment standards, risk management approach, and staff training expectations. The country-specific regulatory frameworks add an additional layer of oversight on top of that internal framework, rather than replacing it.
Inspection reports and registration certificates for each service are available on our website.
Duty of Candour and patient safety
Duty of Candour became a legal requirement in Scotland in 2018. It means that when an unintended or unexpected incident occurs during a patient’s care, the people affected must be told what happened, receive an apology, and that learning points and corrective actions are formally incorporated back into the service going forward.
Castle Craig publishes an annual Duty of Candour report as required under Scottish law, available via Castle Craig’s clinical governance page.
While Duty of Candour is a Scottish legal requirement, the underlying principle – that we are open and honest with patients when something goes wrong, and that we learn from it – applies as a cultural standard across every inpatient and outpatient service in the Castle Health network.
Data protection and ICO registration
Castle Health is committed to the laws and standards governing data protection across the jurisdictions in which we operate. Our UK-based services are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to ensure that data protection guidelines are followed and that any concerns can be escalated to the regulator. Our services in Ireland, Sweden, and the Netherlands operate under their respective national data protection authorities, in line with GDPR.
Patient confidentiality is treated as a clinical obligation as well as a legal one. Information about patients in our care is held in strict confidence, used only for the purpose for which it was provided, and shared only with consent except where overriding clinical or legal duties apply.
Get in touch with us
If you have specific questions about clinical governance, accreditations, or inspection results that aren’t answered on this page, our management team is available to talk you through them. We’re particularly happy to support referring clinicians, insurers, and commissioners with the detail needed for due diligence.
Frequently asked questions about clinical governance, accreditations, and inspection
How often is Castle Craig inspected?
Castle Craig is inspected by Healthcare Improvement Scotland on a regular cycle. The most recent inspection report (November 2024) is available via Castle Craig’s clinical governance page, along with the historical record of previous inspections.
What does ISO 9001:2015 accreditation actually cover?
ISO 9001:2015 is the international standard for quality management. It covers medical, nursing, and administrative procedures; management, training, and supervision of staff; and the systems used to monitor and continuously improve service delivery. Accreditation is granted following independent external audit and is re-confirmed through regular surveillance audits. Castle Craig has held continuous ISO accreditation for 31 years.
Where can I see the inspection reports?
Castle Craig and Smarmore Castle inspection reports are available via each clinic’s dedicated clinical governance page (linked above). For outpatient services, registration certificates and the most recent inspection or oversight reports are available on request from our admissions team.
Is Castle Health a member of any independent healthcare associations?
Castle Health, no. However, Castle Craig is a member of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network. Additional memberships and certifications, including ISCAS and TriCare, are detailed on the Castle Craig clinical governance page.
What is Castle Health's approach to patient feedback and complaints?
Each service operates a formal complaints and feedback process in line with the regulator that oversees it. Patient satisfaction surveys are run regularly across the network and feed directly into clinical governance reviews. For complaints that cannot be resolved internally, patients can escalate to the relevant national regulator. At Castle Craig, patients can also escalate to ISCAS.