Clinician and Employee Engagement StrategyEngaging with our clinicians and employees through a culture of continuous learning, continuous improvement and connectedness 2018 - 2022
We are committed to engaging effectively with our people in a meaningful, accountable, responsive and equitable way; this is not an obligation, but a necessity.
Through the Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy we will ensure that our people are at the heart of everything we do and that they feel valued, respected, listened to and safe.
CopyrightSouth West Hospital and Health Service Clinician and Employee Strategy 2018-2022
Published by the State of Queensland (South West Hospital and Health Service), July, 2018
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© State of Queensland (South West Hospital and Health Service) 2018
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Contents
Introduction 1
Employee engagement 1
Clinician engagement 2
Clinician and employee engagement enablers and objectives 3
Strategy development 3
Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018- 2022 Action Plan 4
Legislative and policy context 9
ForewordEngaging effectively with our people in a meaningful, accountable, responsive and equitable way is not an obligation, but a necessity.
This strategy acknowledges the complexities and challenges of delivering health care services in a rural environment and the need for positive, focused and transparent dialogue across our "organisa-tion.
Being a successful organisation rests heavily on its people; the commitment, skill, will and attitude of each individual to achieve a common goal. At South West HHS we have made a commitment to empowering our people and leading by choice.
Our vision and purpose, not only gives our Hospital and Health Service shape and direction but it inspires, motivates and guides us in everything we do as we provide quality health care to our communities.
Vision: To be a national leader in the delivery of health services to rural and remote communities.
Purpose: To provide safe, effective and sustainable rural and remote health services that people trust and value.
On behalf of the Executive Leadership Team, I thank everyone who has contributed to this strategy, and ultimately shaping the future of our Hospital and Health Service.
Ms Linda PatatChief ExecutiveSouth West Hospital and Health Service
1
Introduction Our Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy details the mechanisms and resources across eight themes to fulfil our commitment to our people by designing, attracting and retaining the workforce, building strong teamwork and leadership and embracing safe and healthy workplaces. Consultation with clinicians and employees on the outcomes of strategies will provide the opportunity for continuous improvement.
The South West HHS Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018-2022 outlines our commitment to put people first. We are focused on empowering our people through a strong culture of continuous learning, continuous improvement and connectedness.
Employee engagementEmployee engagement is a workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success and can enhance their own sense of well-being. Clinician and employee engagement is a critical element of organisational success.
The involvement of employees at all levels in positive two-way dialogue and engagement will support the delivery of quality patient centred care and establish South West Hospital and Health Service (South West HHS) as a great place to work. We will ensure that all employees find their work meaningful and are willing to work together for our patients, their colleagues and the future success of the organisation.
Clinician and employee engagement in South West HHS is about creating opportunities for all employees to connect with each other, to have a voice and to create an environment where they are healthy and committed to their work and the communities we serve.
Quilpie
Augathella Injune
Charleville
Surat
CunnamullaBollon
Morven
St George
Dirranbandi
RomaMitchell
Wallumbilla
SOUTH WEST
Thargomindah
Mungindi
Hospitals
Multipurpose Health Services
Community Clinics
Residential Aged Care facilities are located with the hospitals at Charlevile and Roma
2Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018 – 2022 (April 2018) | To Be Reviewed: (September 2019)
Importance of employee engagement
There is a direct link between employee engagement, workplace culture and organisational performance.
There is growing evidence that effective employee engagement is related to overall business performance which depends on discretionary effort, creative thinking and continuous innovation.
Within the South West HHS, improving levels of employee engagement has the potential to:
• Produce higher productivity and improve organisational performance;• Improve customer focus;• Lower levels of absenteeism;• Achieve higher levels of retention;• Foster greater innovation;• More closely connect clinicians with the organisation for continuous improvement of clinical expertise;• Focus staff on taking a proactive approach to improvement in the quality of our services;• Support the integration of our values and behaviours to create a positive workplace culture;• Support the change and transformation agenda.
Barriers to employee engagement
The development of this strategy and associated actions aims to raise awareness and commitment amongst leaders, managers and staff and is crucial to organisational success. Certain factors and behaviours in our organisation and services can however disable employee engagement.
They include:
• Lack of strategic direction and vision• Inconsistent management practices and behaviours• Lack of consistent communication and knowledge sharing• Lack of trust and commitment by staff• Poor work-life balance
Clinician engagementThe Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 requires that each HHS develop and publish a clinician engagement strategy. This strategy not only incorporates clinician engagement but purposely includes all employee groups within the South West HHS.
As part of South West HHS’s commitment to meaningful consumer and community engagement, we will work with our clinicians and other healthcare providers to build a resilient, locally responsive and self-determining community. A community where our clients and their families are at the centre of our health planning, design, delivery and improvement.
Through engagement and collaboration with our clinicians South West HHS will strive to improve the health outcomes for our rural communities through a coordinated approach to service delivery. We will achieve this by:
• Engaging with our clinicians in the planning, delivery, evaluation and improvement of South West HHS health services• Establishing a Clinical Council to inform the strategic, quality and safety agendas of the health service• Collaborating with our clinical leaders to create additional forums to provide opportunities for formal input into South
West HHS planning and decision-making processes• Promoting clinician led ownership, evaluation and improvement of system performance• The application of evidence-based clinical guidelines and best practice standards, quality and safety improvements and
evidence-based contemporary care models• Enhancing best practice through the dissemination of information and advice to local clinicians from the international,
national and state-wide networks and professional bodies
3 Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018 – 2022 (April 2018) | To Be Reviewed: (September 2019)
Clinician and employee engagement enablers and objectivesThere are eight (8) themes central to employee engagement within South West HHS that will be addressed to enhance clinician and employee engagement within the health service. They are:
1. Organisational leadership: Leaders within South West HHS have a responsibility to inspire widespread ownership andcommitment from line managers and employees at all levels
2. Clinician engagement: South West HHS will establish a Clinical Council and subsequent sub committees to inform thestrategic, quality and safety agendas, and promote clinician led ownership, evaluation and improvement of systemperformance
3. Face-to-face meetings and communications: Face-to-face meetings with staff will be scheduled and structured to gatheractionable and real-time feedback from employees and clients
4. Employee engagement and the role of line managers: Line managers of South West HHS are at the heart of employeeengagement through their ability to effectively engage their staff
5. Creating a supportive work environment for employees: Within South West HHS, we seek to support employees increating a sense of teamwork and a safe environment in which they can openly and respectfully express their opinions,ideas and feedback
6. Aligning work with organisational strategy and performance expectations: Effective employee engagement provides alink between an employee’s role and achievements and the organisation’s overall goals and direction
7. Employee voice: South West HHS is committed to consulting, communicating and engaging with all employees so theirviews and feedback is considered
8. Employee fit: Effective job design, coupled with successful recruitment and selection practices will accurately matchskills, knowledge and attitude of the individual to jobs and the organisation
Strategy development The Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy has been developed through collaboration, literature review and identification of best practice models and it incorporates themes that capture the major enablers and barriers to employee engagement.
The Executive Leadership Team of South West HHS is committed to fostering increased levels of employee engagement. The level of engagement within South West HHS will be measured by our annual Cultural and Employee Engagement Surveys which will be used to monitor, enhance and improve our culture and climate of our various work units and the organisation.
Performance measures and reporting
Performance will be measured annually against the objectives and performance indicators outlined in the Action Plan 2018-2022 on pages 4-8. A baseline assessment against performance measures will be conducted in June 2018. Our performance against the measures will be reported on quarterly to the Executive Planning and Performance Committee and Board; with results published online.
Our Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy will be reviewed annually.
Actions
The Clinician and Employee Engagement Action Plan on the following pages outlines the actions that South West HHS commits to implement. South West HHS will, through the Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy ensure that our people are at the heart of everything we do and that they feel valued, respected, listened to and safe.
4Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018 – 2022 (April 2018) | To Be Reviewed: (September 2019)
Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018- 2022 Action Plan
Theme 1: Organisational leadership
Program area Description Who By when Performance indicator outcome
Instil in all South West HHS workers a commitment to employee engagement and living the South West HHS organisational values
• Review Executive andLine Manager’s roledescriptions toinclude accountabilityfor effective employeeengagement andbehaviours alignedwith organisationalvalues
HRM 30/09/2018 Role descriptions updated and advice provided to current executive and managers
• Incorporate employee engagement as a key performance indicator for all South West HHS Line Managers
DPC 30/09/2018 Individual capability development and learning agreement (CDLAs and performance meetings to incorporate KPIs for employee engagement)
5 Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018 – 2022 (April 2018) | To Be Reviewed: (September 2019)
Theme 2: Clinician engagement
Program area Description Who By when Performance indicator outcome
To engage clinicians in the planning, delivery, improvement and evaluation of health services
• Establishment of aClinical Council andClinicalCollaboratives toinform the strategic,quality and safetyagendas, andpromote clinician ledownership, evaluationand improvement ofsystem performance
EDONM 30/09/2018 Clinical Council and Clinical Collaboratives established
• South West HHS through consultationwith clinicians willseek to implementinitiatives andrecommendationsmade by them whichwill be evaluatedagainst the 10National Health andSafety and QualityHealth Standards
EDONMEDMSEDCAH
30/09/2018 Benchmark performance information against the NSQHS and clinician self determined/clinician led change of practice
• Engage clinicalleaders in the creationof clinical forums toprovide opportunitiesfor formal input intoSouth West HHS planning and decisionmaking processes
DPC 30/09/2018 Levels of clinician and employee engagement annually measured and with appropriate district and local level actions
6Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018 – 2022 (April 2018) | To Be Reviewed: (September 2019)
Theme 3: : Face-to face staff meetings and communications
Program area Description Who By when Performance indicator outcome
Enhance skills and capability of current and future managers to improve communications, consultation and feedback mechanisms
• Scheduled face-to-face meetings withstaff conducted togather actionable andreal-time informationand feedback fromemployees and clients
ELT & All Managers
30/09/2018 Face-to-face meetings with staff is scheduled and regularly conducted by the executive and managers and included as a KPI in their performance objectives
• Use existing andemergingcommunicationmechanisms toprovide greateropportunities forinteraction at alllevels of theorganisation
PAO 30/09/2018 Social media networks established
• Improve internalcommunicationsacross the healthservice
PAO Ongoing Staff communication newsletters including monthly "Pulse", weekly e news and messages from the Chief Executive regularly issued
• Utilise South WestHHS online services topublish and distributesummaries of keyissues and decisionsmade at South WestHospital and HealthBoard and committeemeetings
PAO 30/09/2018 Summaries of ELT and Board decisions and key issues published and distributed electronically
• Internet and Intranetsites to be enhancedto improve two-waycommunication withemployees
PAO 30/09/2018 South West HHS Intranet and Internet updated
7 Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018 – 2022 (April 2018) | To Be Reviewed: (September 2019)
Theme 4: Employee engagement and the role of line managers
Program area Description Who By when Performance indicator outcome
Enhance the capability of current and future managers to lead and engage with all employees within South West HHS
• Develop programsthat enhanceleadership andmanagerial capabilityand competencyacross the South West HHS
DPC 30/12/2018 Managers skilled in techniques for increasing employee engagement
• Managers account-ability for enhancingemployeeengagement to beincorporated into theperformancemanagement reviewprocess
DPC 30/09/2018 Employees and managers actively engaged in South West HHS 6 monthly Performance Management reviews (CDLA)
Theme 5: Creating a supportive work environment for employees
Program area Description Who By when Performance indicator outcome
Create an environment where employees have a sense of teamwork, commitment and feel safe to express ones’ ideas and opinions
• Train all staff indevelopmentprograms such asCAPS to improveinteraction and createpositive workplaces
DPC 30/06/2018 All staff have undertaken appropriate training
• Employee pre- orientation processesenhanced and toincorporate thebehaviours andvalues expected of allemployees
NDE 30/09/2018 Orientation programs enhanced with scheduled follow up 3 months after commencement
• Local communityneighbourhoods to berolled out to connectstaff within local areas(particularly thosewithout familyconnections locally)
EDONM 30/09/2018 Local initiatives rolled out
• Role descriptions formanagers to includethe capability to buildengaged values basedteams
HRM 30/09/2018 Role descriptions updated
• Celebrate employeeachievements andgood news stories
ELT/DPC 30/09/2018 Good news stories published/Staff awards/Employee of the Month (#Spirit)
8Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018 – 2022 (April 2018) | To Be Reviewed: (September 2019)
Theme 6: Aligning work with organisational strategy and performance
Program area Description Who By when Performance indicator outcome
Promote and Integrate South West HHS's Vision, Purpose and Values
• Evaluate and intro-duce an On-linePerformance Reviewsystem that canenhance employeecommunication andcommitment
DPC 30/03/2019 Online performance systems evaluated and implemented if deemed appropriate
Theme 7: Employee voice
Program area Description Who By when Performance indicator outcome
Create an environment where employee’s views and opinions are sought, listened to and acted upon to make a difference
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderLeadership AdvisoryCouncil engaged toprovide expert adviceand input into keydecision-makingprocesses
EDCAH 01/07/2018 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Advisory Council engaged bi-monthly to consult on improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health care outcomes
• Employees are to be consulted and invited to provide feedback on organisational performance, strategies, plans and actions
ELT 30/09/2019 Employees receive regular updates and information and provided opportunities to consult on change
Theme 8: Employee job fit
Program area Description Who By when Performance indicator outcome
Development of a talent acquisition strategy that supports the attraction and retention of new staff with the right skills, abilities, attitudes and values
• Develop EmployeeAttraction andRetention Plan thatidentifies and ad-dresses the organisa-tions resourcingrequirements
DPC 30/09/2018 Employee engagement strategies/actions included in operational planning and reporting for all services
• Organisational valuesand behaviours to beintegrated intoselection, promotionand performancemanagementprocesses andpractices
DPC 30/09/2019 Staff selection, promotion and performance management processes and practices include components relating to values
9 Clinician and Employee Engagement Strategy 2018 – 2022 (April 2018) | To Be Reviewed: (September 2019)
Legislative and policy context
The Act and Regulation
The Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 (Qld) and the Hospital and Health Boards Regulation 2012 (Qld) require that each Hospital and Health Service develop and publish a strategy (a clinician engagement strategy) to promote consultation with health professionals working in the Service.
Western Queensland Primary Health Network
The South West HHS has a formal partnership with the Western Queensland Primary Health Network to work in collaboration to provide best practice in integrated healthcare across primary and acute health services to continue to improve patient care and experience.
The National Safety and Quality Healthcare Service Standards
We strive for a culture of continuous learning and improvement and ensuring safety and quality excellence for our patients. The South West HHS participates in external peer assessments and accreditation to monitor performance against the National Safety and Quality Healthcare Service Standards. These standards have been developed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and provide the framework to protect the public from harm and to improve the quality of health service provision.
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