Success factor 5: Staff are improvement partners

Page last updated: 12 May 2022

 

All staff think about, plan and deliver equality and human rights interventions to improve care quality.

There is a no blame culture of learning and collective leadership.

Values-based recruitment

East London NHS Foundation Trust, mental health and community trust.

In recruitment, candidates are questioned to make sure they share the trust's values of respect and ensuring care is inclusive.

Lorraine Sunduza, Director of Nursing: "Time and geography are our greatest challenges - having a consistent approach across all services while also allowing individual services to find their own unique way of working. You overcome this by employing the right people"

All staff contribute to improving care

The Doc's Surgery, city-centre practice with 7,500 registered patients.

All staff have opportunities to work on new projects, such as:

  • links with voluntary sector mental health organisations
  • understanding domestic violence in same sex relationships
  • yoga on prescription.

Margaret Everett, practice manager: "The fact that everyone is valued and contributes equally from his or her own perspective contributes to our success as an organisation."

Strong patient and staff engagement

Herstmonceux Integrative Health Centre, a rural health care centre with 4,200 registered patients.

The very engaged patient participation group affects service development, for example starting the coffee mornings and health walks.

The practice supports staff learning about and developing an approach to tackling social issues that impact on health. They seek out evidence-based research and have set up a practice book club for staff to read recently published work that could benefit patients. This has led to high levels of staff satisfaction.

Active Support training

Style Acre, supported living service for people with learning disabilities and autism.

Staff had completed training in Active Support. This is a method of enabling people with learning disabilities to engage more in their daily lives, so it promotes the human rights principles of respect and autonomy. Active Support changes the style of support from 'caring for' to 'working with'.

Staff told us the training had helped them understand that everyone can be engaged in some part of their lives whatever their disability. There were many examples of this approach improving people's independence and enhancing their quality of life.

For example, one person found it very difficult to go to a till with a shop assistant when shopping. Staff encouraged them to use the self service tills. The person now goes shopping and pays independently which they clearly enjoy.

 

Associated links

CQC key lines of inquiry

NHS trusts:

Adult social care:

Our key lines of enquiry: W1.8, W3.1

NHS Improvement

Culture assessment tool: cultural elements - goals and performance, learning and innovation, teamwork