No workplace reform has yet brought a clear improvement to the staffing shortage in the healthcare sector. Now, workplace developers are turning their hopeful eyes toward a change in leadership models.
According to researcher and docent Perttu Salovaara, the problem in elderly care is the same as in other public sector jobs. The work is fragmented into small tasks, and no one really takes overall responsibility for the customer or the daily life of the employees.
Salovaara is involved as an expert on community self-direction in the “Paths to Community Self-Direction in Elderly Care” project, which is being implemented in Northern Savo and funded by the European Social Fund (ESR+). Through this project, he has gained insight into current trends in elderly care leadership.
– “Today’s changing environment means that the old-fashioned top-down leadership approach doesn’t always work anymore,” Salovaara notes.
Bureaucratic Rigidity Undermines Patient Safety
According to Salovaara, a major issue with the current healthcare leadership model is the burden on the system due to bureaucracy. Situations where a customer receives the wrong service, no service, or only part of the service they came for can, at worst, lead to a decline in patient safety.
– “Nurses are directly in contact with customers and respond to their needs on the spot. They are healthcare professionals who care for the elderly to the best of their ability. If they must ask permission for everything from a supervisor, the process becomes very clumsy and slow. It’s important to meet the customer’s needs as they arise, without unnecessary barriers limiting the service they receive.”
The Ability to Influence Increases Job Satisfaction
Salovaara believes that community self-direction is fundamentally about the value of the individual and trusting in their ability to make sound decisions about their work.
– “In my view, a supervisor should encourage employees to think for themselves rather than obligating them to rely on external authorities, especially when their conscience says otherwise.”
Community self-direction also impacts job satisfaction, as research shows that commitment to work is much stronger when employees have the opportunity to engage in the development of their work community and contribute their own perspectives.
– “By acting according to their conscience and professional skills, patient safety can also be ensured when nurses are allowed to independently make decisions related to their work,” says Salovaara.
Author: Maiju Korhonen, Communications Specialist, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, maiju.korhonen@savonia.fi
Image: Paths to Community Self-Direction in Elderly Care Project Team