Resources

Making change happen is central to care improvement and reducing risk. Every quality practitioner should have a toolkit, and one of the tools that needs to be in it is an effective change approach that helps people to get on board, supports behaviour change and re-sets organisational systems to sustain the change. 

Boards know that they must ‘act in the best interests of their organisation.’  But where does clinical governance fit with this? Under Australian law, directors must exercise their powers and discharge their duties in good faith in the best interests of the company and for a proper purpose. For directors of a charity or NFP, the purpose of the organisation will be central to the application of this duty.

How as leaders do we motivate and sustain action when it comes to clinical governance change? How do we ensure implementation challenges faced by our teams are heard?

Dr Lloyd Nash, principal AICG Leadership facilitator, brings both the ‘teacher’ and ‘student’ lens to this conversation as he reflects on his extensive and varied healthcare journey as to the challenges faced (from both sides) when crossing the clinical governance divide, and how to bridge that gap.

Governing bodies play a critical role in aged care – they set the direction for, and culture of, the organisation, directly influencing the safety and quality of care provided to consumers.

According to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), there are about 60,000 registered charities in Australia, working in a range of areas including health, education, social welfare, religion, culture, human rights, the environment and animal welfare. The latest AICD NFP study seeks to explain the unique challenges facing boards and directors in the not for profit (or for purpose) sector.

Covid saw simple work become complicated. Complicated work then became complex. And ultimately, complex work ran the risk of becoming chaotic. Leaders and leadership qualities were never so important. 

Leading successful change is complex - and requires high technical and organisational skills. But another critical ‘X’ factor in transformational change is the ‘followability’ of a leader - the degree to which others are inspired and drawn to align their hearts, minds and efforts to the goal. 

With the Australian federal election looming on 21 May 2022, we are prompted to consider: what does a good leader look like?

Compassion is an extension of empathy. It can be defined as ‘the feeling or emotion, when a person is moved by the suffering or distress of another, and by the desire to relieve it’. The desire to help distinguishes compassion from empathy - which, in contrast, may be defined as ‘the ability to imagine and understand the thoughts, perspective and emotions of another person.’

Negative behaviours between healthcare workers are unfortunately common, and past research has demonstrated high levels of psychological distress amongst Australian doctors - putting their psychological safety at stake. Sadly, bad behaviours tend to cascade down the medical hierarchy, even impacting students.

Although boards are ultimately accountable, and responsible for oversight and strategic direction, clinical governance begins and ends with those who deliver clinical care. We have previously suggested that ‘culture impacts how individuals feel in workplace - and in turn the manner in which they conduct themselves.’ Do they feel supported in the workplace - or are they afraid to seek help? Do they feel safe to speak up if they have any concerns? Do they feel free to share their ideas, mistakes, and feedback - fostering a learning and collaborative environment, in a united vision to deliver optimal care?