What is the outcome that needs to be achieved?
The governing body* leads a culture of safety, inclusion and quality that focuses on continuous improvement*, embraces diversity* and prioritises the safety, health and wellbeing* of older people and the workforce*.
Actions
The governing body leads a positive culture of quality care and services and continuous improvement and demonstrates that this culture exists within the organisation.
In strategic and business planning, the governing body:
- prioritises the safety, health and wellbeing of older people and workers
- ensures that care and services are accessible to, and appropriate for, people with specific needs and diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people living with dementia
- actively engages and consults with workers
- considers legislative requirements, organisational and operational risks, workforce needs and the wider organisational environment.
Why is this outcome important?
Outcome 2.2 explains providers’ obligations to make sure their governing body* involves older people and workers in the strategic and business planning, and governance* of care and services. This needs to have a focus on continuous improvement*.
The governing body* must monitor the care and services you provide through regular reviews. These must consider legislative requirements and the wider organisational and operational risks and needs. This helps you to deliver safe and quality care* and services. It includes evaluating:
- how effective your care and services are
- the safety and wellbeing* of older people and workers.
By considering and understanding older people’s needs, preferences and feedback, the governing body* can encourage a culture of quality, safety and inclusion. This makes sure older people with specific needs and diverse backgrounds can receive care and services that are accessible, appropriate, inclusive and meet their needs. This supports you to deliver person-centred care*.
By engaging with workers and reviewing relevant quality and safety data, the governing body* can identify areas for improvement. This is important to make sure your strategic and business planning addresses the needs of older people. This includes people with diverse backgrounds, such as:
- people who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
- people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- people living with dementia*.
This helps the governing body* to lead a positive culture of continuous improvement* and quality care* and services that are accessible and appropriate.
You need to give focus to:
- strategic and business planning
- addressing the needs of older people from a diverse range of backgrounds, including:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- people living with dementia*.
Key tasks
Providers
Providers
Report concerns about the organisation’s culture of quality care* and services.
Governing bodies of organisations have members with diverse skills, backgrounds and experience and are a useful source of information and knowledge which can be used to seek advice. Regularly* reporting quality performance information and performance monitoring (Outcome 2.3) to the governing body* will enable you to leverage their knowledge and expertise in a timely manner.
Gather and report information about your quality and safety culture* (Outcome 2.3) to your governing body*. This information can come from:
- feedback* from older people, their families, carers, representatives and workers (Outcome 2.6). This can also include feedback* from Consumer Advisory Bodies.
- older people’s care and service documents (Outcome 3.1)
- results from evaluating workers’ performance and how well they’re using the quality system* (Outcome 2.9).
Review this information to encourage continuous improvement*.
Make sure workers follow the Code of Conduct for Aged Care. This will help your organisation and workers to:
- promote a safe and inclusive environment
- protect older people from harm.
Report any serious issues or situations where older people have been harmed or were at risk of harm by following the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) process*. For example, situations such as negligence need to be:
- communicated to the relevant Consumer Advisory Bodies
- reported to the governing body*.
Talk with workers to find out their needs for safety, health and wellbeing* . Encourage and monitor the safety, health and wellbeing* of your workers. Do this by following the governing body’s strategic and business plan. For example, identify instances where you haven’t met workforce health and safety needs. This can include one-off occurrences or organisation-wide issues. Report this to the governing body*.
The guidance for Outcome 2.8 has more information on supporting and maintaining a satisfied and psychologically safe* workforce.
Resolve issues in a timely* way by using the processes* in your:
- incident management* system* (Outcome 2.5)
- risk management system* (Outcome 2.4)
- feedback* and complaints* management system*(Outcome 2.6).
