Revitalizing Quality Care: The Key to Retaining Healthcare Staff

Healthcare organizations are currently facing a critical challenge: retaining a skilled workforce. Just having a nurse, does not equate to having enough experienced nurses so the care area will run smoothly. While incredibly resilient, our newer professionals just do not have the time or training to rapidly assimilate as we would like. This is greatly contributing to the rising burnout rates and staffing shortages.

According to operational healthcare experts like Dean Malpass ,

"The solution lies in returning to a focus on quality care. By operationalizing quality care properly, healthcare facilities can create a cascade of positive outcomes, including enhanced profit margins, elevated quality metrics, and, perhaps most importantly, a transformative cultural shift towards more positive and safe workplaces."

Enhanced Profit Margins Through Quality Care

Firstly, it is essential to understand that quality care is economically smart. When healthcare providers prioritize patient-centered care and evidence-based practices, they see reduced rates of complications and readmissions. With the creation of the internet, information is not only rapidly available for provider use, but also for the public. We have to understand that the public is sicker than ever, meaning they are seeking more healthcare than ever.

While the demand is great, sometimes the profit is lost in expenses for items that are not streamlined to match quality. This can be correctly fairly easily, if you know where to look. This enhanced efficiency not only fosters patient trust and satisfaction but also translates into financial savings and improved profit margins for the organization. With these savings, institutions can offer better compensation and benefits, which are key components in staff retention.

Elevated Quality Metrics as a Retention Tool

Quality care also directly impacts the core metrics by which healthcare facilities are judged, both by regulatory bodies and consumers. Higher quality metrics resonate with a sense of professional pride and accomplishment among healthcare workers. As these metrics rise, so does the morale of the staff. Clinicians want to work in an environment where success is measurable, and superior outcomes enhance their own reputations as well as that of their employer. I know when I was fortunate to work at organizations like Mass Gen, Hopkins, UMD Shock Trauma I wore their coats with pride. People knew we were the best. In such environments, staff are more likely to remain, reducing turnover and the associated costs of recruiting and training new employees.

Cultural Shifts Lead to Safer Workplaces

Perhaps the most significant impact of proper quality care operationalization; and why my violence reduction efforts have pivoted to operations, is the culture shift within healthcare environments. A commitment to quality care reflects strong and fair leadership — a trait highly sought after by healthcare professionals. Leaders who advocate for best practices, fairness, and transparency cultivate an environment where employees feel valued, heard, and respected.

I often hear many times from our Investigative partners like Virtue Investigations that leaders are so shocked that something was not reported right away, or didn't escalate faster. My response is always that it is due to a lack of culture that makes it safe to do that. In my experience, the NHS does this a tad better than the US, and we see that this nurturing of a positive workplace leads to better team dynamics, increased job satisfaction, and ultimately, fewer resignations. Strong policies and regulations make this possible.

Addressing the Desperate Need for Strong Leadership

The healthcare workforce is yearning for leaders who can navigate the complex challenges of today's medical field while keeping the welfare of both patients and workers at heart. By championing quality care and robust operational protocols, healthcare organizations signal to their employees that management is dedicated to excellence and sustainability. This is what employees are looking for. This is the type of hiring that should be done for rural communities and your organizations most at risk. We should be leveraging excellent resources like AudienceLink Ltd. who help you look for the right candidate for the job, not just the first one to come along. CEO and Founder Rowan Marriott had to say this about hiring properly;

"The recruitment and retention of the right candidates, the nurses that fit with your company culture is crucial to ensure that the best level of care is delivered to those that need it most. Understanding what makes nurses join and stay within a company, depends on your employee value proposition, both how you communicate it and how real it is. Simply put, we have to deliver on what we promise to attract and retain the best talent."

Long term stability as a leader requires strong leadership. It provides stable ground for healthcare professionals to perform their best work, fueling their loyalty to the institution.

Operationalizing quality care is not just a positive for patients; it is a strategic move for healthcare organizations looking to maintain a dedicated and proficient workforce. Through improved profit margins, elevated quality metrics, and a shift towards positive workplace cultures, healthcare providers can tackle staff retention head-on. It is through these efforts that healthcare facilities will not only survive the current crisis but thrive in the years to following, with a committed and satisfied team leading the charge.

After all, ourselves or someone we love will all be patients one day won't we?

For assistance with critical incident review, please contact our Incident Review partner Virtue Investigations .

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