Telling Our Story: From Nursing Home in Need to Nursing Home in the Lead Renaissance South Shore
Reduced Volume of Call Offs from Direct Care Staff by 75% Reduced Overtime Rate 0% Created & Implemented Consistent Staffing Created a culture for our employees to be heard and have a voice in change. Improved Employee Morale and Patient Care
As the new Administrator of the building I analyzed and took over doing the schedule for the CNA’s in an effort to identify the contributing factors to the high volume of call offs. I wanted to identify if call offs were due to a system problem or staff were not happy. After meeting with staff over a 2 week period Here’s what I found very quickly….
1. It was not a System Problem. We had more than enough staff to fill our shifts. 2. Several staff members were primary care givers for parents or sick children. 3. Staff were frustrated with floating all over the building 4. There was no accountability for call offs.
As a symbolic measure we threw out the old handwritten schedule and created a new computerized schedule that would help us track our progress. We created a staffing schedule that met the needs of the facility not the needs of the staff. We worked with the staff who were primary caretakers for their loved ones to create “flex schedules” to reduce their call offs
We asked staff where they would like to work. 1. We felt it was important to hear where our staff where most comfortable working and create a schedule that would meet their preference and offer consistency. 2. This gave the staff a voice and active participation in a facility wide change. We Empowered our Employees
By working with the staff and creating a Balanced and Consistent Schedule we were able improve our call off rate which directly impacted our OT Rate. We also began keeping the staff accountable for their call offs. Since January costs associated with OT dropped by 71.6% which was a $84,362 costs savings.
We opened up the Administrative Doors that were once closed and began to hear our employees. Here is what they had to say… 1. They were tired of their co-workers calling in and having to shift or wait for a replacement to come in. 2. They didn’t feel appreciated or had a voice in facility changes.
We reestablished internal accountability for call offs and set a clear system for all call offs. You Call Off…You Call Off to the Administrator! We made the staff hold each other accountable as well.
Call Offs were cut by 80% since the beginning of this project. OT was reduced to 0 with a 71% cost savings over 3 quarters Employee Morale was improved with continued participation in facility decision making The implementation of Consistent Staffing has reduced re-hospitalizations, within 30 days, to less than 11%
The implementation of Consistent Staffing has: 1. Created a staff force that is knowledgeable of their patients 2. Increased Patient/Family satisfaction 3. Reduced re-hospitalizations to less than 11% 4. Reduced falls by 60% over the year
Communication is Key! A Comprehensive Orientation Program is a valuable investment Use challenges or mistakes as learning experiences. Address issues immediately, even if you don’t have a solution.
Corporate team was present from the beginning and supportive of the changes and “out of box” ideas that were brought to the table. Trusted the Administration Team to make the changes independently. Were always available with guidance and resources when needed.
We are very excited about our work and success to this point. We have recently reached a milestone within our facility with 0% OT, which was celebrated amongst all staff. We plan to use this momentum to continue empowering our staff, helping them grow professionally, and continue to strive for clinical excellence!
Advancing Excellence: LANE: Renaissance Park South: Connie Ortega NuCare: Michelle Stuercke, ;