Significant workforce challenges faced by aged care demand new and innovative solutions. And – they also demand fresh perspectives on currently available solutions. This presentation lays out a simple process for building staff satisfaction as a strategy for improved recruitment and retention, and also for enhancing the quality of care.

The well-being of aged care staff is fundamental to delivering quality care. Evidence shows that satisfied staff are more engaged and attentive, leading to better consumer interactions and outcomes. Conversely, dissatisfaction and burnout can lead to errors, decreased attention to consumer needs, reduced care quality and high turnover; all with significant associated costs.

Beyond basic ‘hygiene’ factors lies a set of staff satisfaction ‘levers’ that can be pulled to significantly increase role fulfilment for all staff. Working these levers as drivers to increase both satisfaction and care quality together creates a reinforcing loop, creating a reinforcing and upward spiral of both.

This requires leaders to build a bridge between a shared picture of high quality care in everyday practice, and the drivers of staff satisfaction. Consumers want to experience quality care that is personal, safe, coordinated and effective. Staff want to experience a workplace that has Meaning, supports Mastery in their work, Acknowledges their efforts, allows appropriate Autonomy and fosters a sense of Community.

The levers of staff satisfaction can be specifically pulled to combine these consumer and staff desires, resulting in a win-win for consumers and staff. For example:
• Create Meaning through staff and consumers co-designing quality care, setting goals for achieving quality care every day and identifying the ‘key quality actions’ required to achieve it.
• Mastery is gained through specific skill development and showcasing staff strengths in the pursuit of quality care.
• Autonomy allows ‘freedom within a framework’ to enact the quality actions, supported by effective clinical governance.
• Acknowledgement takes the form of informal and formal mechanisms for recognising and learning from staff who enact the quality actions in their everyday work.
• Community is fostered when staff feel part of a team and organisation striving for the same quality goals, and also builds resilience.

Creating an upward loop of staff satisfaction and care quality requires a strategic approach that aligns the needs and goals of both staff and consumers. The presentation gives examples of how leaders can implement simple processes for creating excellence in staff satisfaction and care quality – together.