What is Human Resource Management in Healthcare?
Human resource management in healthcare focuses on ensuring staff who are providing care to an individual is safe, skilled and competent. This encompasses hiring, training, continuous performance evaluation, and retention. Workers who are caring for the older person must have the necessary skills, qualifications, and experience, ensuring they can provide high quality care and services.
Why is Human Resource Management Important in Healthcare?
Effective human resource management ensures that healthcare providers are staffed with competent, safe and skilled employees, that can provide high quality care. The new Aged Care Act, subject to further consultation it is proposed that "high quality care", be defined as:
- Compassion and respect for the individuality, self-determination, and dignity of a person accessing care, and their quality of life.
- Responding to the person’s expressed personal needs, aspirations, and their preferences about the way services are delivered to them.
- Facilitating regular clinical reviews to ensure that the services delivered continue to reflect their individual needs.
- Supporting the person to improve their physical and cognitive capacities and mental health where possible.
- Supporting the person to participate in cultural, recreational, and social activities, and remain connected to their community.
Examples of Human Resource Management in Healthcare?
- Comprehensive Training Programs: Organises and delivers structured training sessions that cover essential skills and knowledge, ensuring staff are up-to-date with best practice and regulatory requirements.
- Leadership Development: Focuses on identifying and supporting potential leaders within the organisation, providing them with the necessary tools and opportunities.
- Performance Management: Regular evaluation strategies to assess and improve staff performance.
- Recruitment and Screening Process: Utilise human resource technologies and methodologies to streamline the recruitment process.
What is the “Human Resource Management” Requirement?
The Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, Outcome 2.9 'The human resource management outcome statement' states:
"The care and services needs of older people are met by workers who are skilled and competent in their role, hold relevant qualifications and who have relevant expertise and experience to provide quality care and services. Workers are provided with training and supervision to effectively perform their role".
Relevant Standards
The provider maintains records of worker pre-employment checks, contact details, qualifications and experience.
The provider deploys the number and mix of workers to enable the delivery and management of quality care and services.
Workers have access to supervision, support and resources.
Strengthened Quality Standards framework analysis - Aged Care Quality Standards
Failure to comply with the requirements could lead to an organisation being penalised or reprimanded.
Related Training Requirement Guides
The following Training Requirement guides can be used to support and facilitate the human resource training requirement:
Training Requirement: Healthcare Communication
Training Requirement: Applying Quality Improvement Systems
Training Requirement: Risk Management Systems
Training Requirement: Safe Care Environment
Training Requirement: Documentation in Healthcare
Training Requirement: Healthcare Communication
Training Requirement: Management Skills in Healthcare
Training Requirement: Safe and quality roles and responsibilities
What Skills Do Staff Need For the Human Resource Management Requirement?
Staff working in human resource management must possess the skills listed below:
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| Communication | Essential for effective staff management and patient care. |
| Conflict Resolution | Crucial for managing and resolving disputes effectively within the team to ensure a harmonious working environment. |
| Leadership | Important for guiding teams and improving care outcomes. |
| Regulatory knowledge | Crucial for ensuring compliance with health laws and standards. |
| Problem-solving | Key in addressing and resolving unexpected challenges in a timely manner to maintain safety of all people. |
| Empathy | Critical for understanding and addressing the emotional and physical needs of people. |
| Cultural Awareness | Essential for providing respectful care that acknowledges and incorporates the diverse backgrounds and preferences of people and staff. |
How to Assess Staff Competency in Human Resource Management?
Staff competency can be assessed through regular performance reviews, feedback mechanisms, and competency assessment. This ensures that staff members are continuously improving and remain compliant with healthcare standards.
- Performance Reviews: Regular performance evaluations allow managers to systematically review each staff member's work against specific criteria and objectives related to human resource management roles. These reviews can include both self-assessments and supervisor evaluations.
- 360-Degree Feedback: This method involves collecting feedback supervisor and peers. It offers a well-rounded view of the employee's skills, work ethic, and contributions, highlighting areas of strength and those needing improvement.
- Competency Assessments: Implementing targeted assessments that test specific human resource related skills, such as conflict resolution, employment law knowledge, or recruitment strategies. These assessments can be conducted through simulations, written tests, or practical tasks directly related to human resource tasks.
- Observation: Managers can directly observe employees in their work environment, noting how they handle human resource related tasks such as mediating conflicts, engaging in recruitment activities, or implementing training programs. Observation helps assess soft skills and practical application of human resource knowledge in real-world scenarios.
Strategies to Support Employees Enhance Skills in Human Resource Management
The following strategies can be achieved through:
- Provide regular training workshops and seminars: Organising frequent educational sessions that focus on current human resource practices and evolving trends ensures that employees stay up-to-date.
- Mentorship programs: Mentorship helps transfer valuable knowledge and experience to staff, which contributes to a supportive learning environment.
- External human resources management courses: Supporting continuing education through external courses allows employees to gain further knowledge with additional qualifications, which can help them excel in their roles and bring fresh perspectives to the organisation.
- Role-playing activities that simulate human resource scenarios: Role-playing exercises provide staff with practical human resource situations, such as handling difficult conversations.
- Technology-based learning tools: Integrating advanced technology tools like virtual reality simulations, online learning platforms, and interactive webinars can make learning more engaging and accessible for human resource professionals.
Sample Skills Development Training Plan For the Human Resource Management Requirement
A detailed training plan is critical for human resource management skill development:
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Structured training plan is essential for systematic skill development. Below is a sample training plan aimed at enhancing competencies in human resource management.
| Quarter | Topics | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Cultural Awareness | |
| Q2 | Conflict Resolution |
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Staff Competency Assessment for Quality System Improvements- Example
Consider the following survey questions to evaluate your staff ability:
Staff Survey - Quality System Improvements
-
How well do you understand the human resource management policies and compliance requirements in your workplace?
- [Answer here]
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How confident are you in your ability to manage staffing needs, including recruitment, retention, and succession planning?
- [Answer here]
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Can you provide an example of how you have effectively resolved a staffing or HR-related issue?
- [Answer here]
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What skills do you think are crucial for effectively managing human resources in healthcare, and how do you rate your proficiency in these skills?
- [Answer here]
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What additional training or resources would you like to undertake towards your professional development?
- [Answer here]
Conclusion
Effective human resource management is pivotal in healthcare, ensuring that the workforce is competent, motivated, and aligned with the goals of delivering high quality care. The strategies and assessment methods discussed provide a foundation for enhancing skills, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and a more resilient healthcare system. Emphasising the development of crucial skills and the implementation of robust evaluation mechanisms will ensure that human resource management within healthcare settings continues to evolve and adapt to meet the changing demands of this forever changing landscape.
References
- The Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards – Final draft 2023, 'Standard 2: The Organisation'
- Stone, RJ, Cox, A, Gavin, M & Carpini, J 2024, 'Human resource management, eleventh edn, John Wiley & Sons, Queensland.
- Qin, X., Huang, Y.N, Hu, Chen, K, Li, L, Wang, RS & Wang, BL 2023, Human resource management research in healthcare: a big data bibliometric study,Human Resources for Health vol. 21, no. 1.
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care 2024, Clinical Governance Standard, Austrlaian Government, viewed 13 May 2024, Clinical Governance Standard
- Department of Health and Aged Care 2024, About the new Aged Care Act, viewed 13 May 2024, About the new Aged Care Act
