New self-managed teams ensure more time for each citizen
Minute hierarchy and time-consuming documentation requirements have for long been the everyday life for employees within home care, but in Syddjurs municipality, a new organisation of the employees has ensured a closer relationship with the municipality's elderly.
Since last autumn, Syddjurs municipality has been working on a new organization of the municipality's social and health care assistants and home nurses in smaller, self-managed teams. The new teams consist of 16-18 employees, who are jointly responsible for up to 80 senior citizens. The new organization has given the employees more freedom to manage and prioritise their tasks, and the employees also experience a better knowledge of the needs and everyday life of the elderly.
The mayor of Syddjurs municipality Michael Stegger states to P4 Østjylland that he has no doubt that the municipality's elderly receive a more dignified care when the employees can prioritize their own tasks: "You have these self-managed teams where nurses and social and health care assistants, they plan the work day together. It results in more well-being and most importantly, it results in more time with our citizens," says the mayor of Syddjurs municipality, Michael Stegger.
New Seniors Act focus on better quality of life
A more dignified care for the elderly is also on the agenda when Minister for the Elderly, Astrid Krag, starts a series of nationwide public meetings about the future care of elderly, in which more time for the individual citizen is in focus.
"It is important, both for the elderly's safety, but it is also important for the employees to be able to use their professionalism, and that they are not tied to a bell string with minute hierarchy, where everything is chopped up in small, individual services. So, I think we're on to the right thing with the path we're on with regular teams, as in Syddjurs. And this is why we, from the government's side, have expanded it to additional municipalities, and these are some of the thoughts that I think should be included in the new Elderly Act", says Astrid Krag to P4 Østjylland.
More continuity and cooperation on the citizen
So far, the trial with self-managed teams has been initiated within three areas in Syddjurs municipality, but soon the trial will be extended to other areas as well. The new teams embrace employees from several different disciplines, and this entails that there is not the same need to document the work previously. One of the most important goals for the municipality is to increase continuity so that citizens are met by a familiar face and not several different people.
Chief Consultant Per Tostenæs from Ældresagen says to P4 Østjylland: "It will be a familiar face that comes, rather than different people from day to day. So, it's easier to confide in them, it's easier to trust that they can help you in your daily life. You don't have to repeat the same things over and over again, something many home care recipients experience today."
Systematic collaborates with Syddjurs
For the past year, Systematic has worked closely with Syddjurs municipality to develop the digital support for self-managed teams. The team application supports the employees' collaboration and coordination within the self-managed teams, and it is an independent solution that can be accessed directly from the municipality's care record Columna Cura. Since the end of March, the municipality has been running a pilot test on the application.
The radio feature of self-managed teams in Syddjurs municipality was part of “P4 Eftermiddag Østjylland” on Thursday 17 March at 15.40.
