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Introduction to Human Resource Management and Leadership Assessment

Talent Retention and Development: Duty of Care: Ambulance Service NSW - The Challenge

With more than seven million people depending on them to provide high-quality clinical care and health transport, the team at Ambulance Service NSW has a tough job on their hands. It is one of the largest ambulance services in the world, employs more than 4000 people in over 300 locations and has a fleet of 1500 ambulances to cover almost 801 600 km2. Ninety per cent of the workforce are operational staff involved in the frontline delivery of care.

High demands are placed on local managers and staff, particularly in the current environment where the needs of the community are changing due to the ageing population and increased incidence of chronic illness, all of which result in more 000 emergency calls. Regardless of external pressures, a key performance requirement of Ambulance Service NSW is the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective emergency patient care to the community. The community - and the organisation - relies on the professionalism, dedication and clinical excellence of its frontline staff.

Yet despite the importance of the human factor in the work Ambulance Service NSW does, until 2008 it had struggled to match its investment in advancing clinical skills with a program focused on improving the skills of managers in leading and supporting staff. 'While ambulance frontline managers had made significant progress in operational and clinical excellence, a new approach was required to develop best practice in people management and build a performance-oriented culture,' says Tricia Mawson, Senior Learning Development Facilitator at Ambulance Service NSW. The business lacked a management and performance culture.

The Initiative

To strengthen its management processes, Ambulance Service NSW launched its Ambulance Management Qualification (AMQ) in 2008, in conjunction with industry leader in management training, the Australian Institute of Management.

The qualification - which took six months to develop and was then tested on a six-month trial basis - comprised a 12-day program for operational frontline managers, who undertake the qualification over 12 months.

'The AMQ is a management cultural change program designed to build a performance culture underpinned by the vision and values of Ambulance Service NSW,' says Mawson. 'It provides a support framework where managers are trained, guided, coached and mentored in best practice approaches to managing and leading staff in a clinical and operational environment.'

Designed to be applicable to clinical and operational leadership environments, the aims of the AMQ is to build the skills and expertise of frontline managers in team building, conflict resolution and performance management, which is directly assessed against clearly articulated organisational values. The AMQ training aims are supported by formal performance, behaviour and development assessments of managers every six months to provide both recognition and corrective action where needed under Ambulance Service NSW's Performance Development Program.

To date, more than 600 supervisors have started the AMQ and more than 350 staff have received their Certificate IV Frontline Management. The commitment to the AMQ program has been substantial, with more than $1.5 million invested in it.

The Impact

A 2011 AMQ survey revealed that 84 per cent of participants believed the AMQ had reaffirmed their responsibility to monitor the wellbeing of their staff, and 79 per cent said participating in the AMQ had improved their knowledge of how to manage workplace concerns and/or grievances.

In staff surveys, 61 per cent of staff with a manager participating in the AMQ believed their manager has been able to support them more effectively since he or she attended the AMQ. Additionally, just over half of all staff surveyed indicated that since participating in the AMQ, their managers are more proactive in promoting a positive workplace culture. 'In just three years, AMQ has made substantial progress in shifting the frontline management culture to one where managers are better able to manage staff and support a positive workplace culture,' says Mawson.

Source: Doyle, J., 2012, 'Duty of care' in Australia's best in HR and business leadership 2011. AHRI National Awards, HR Monthly, pp. 10-11.

Questions

1. Describe how this initiative would impact the induction program for new frontline managers joining Ambulance Service NSW. What would need to be incorporated?

2. The focus of this program has been on managers. What learning and development now needs to be undertaken for the following positions to further support the change in focus for the organisation?

a. Frontline operational staff

b. Customer service staff