sahr2001 - Health Systems Trust

“Look I have always liked working with people and the most rewarding cherry
on the cake is the fact that the unions and management have got to learn and
to understand and to trust each other and talk to each other and move away
from the confrontation approach to one of collaboration. That is probably the
most exciting thing that I have felt.”
Another long serving superintendent commented:
“Discipline is another area of the Med Superintendent’s job that is quite onerous.
Discipline is the most unwanted bit in any job, to tell people off when they’re not
doing what they should, especially when they’re recalcitrant ... In some sense,
the Med Superintendent is in a better position to do it than the administrator,
not quite so involved in the community, in the present situation being more of
an outsider than other staff.”
Some indicated that they had had to learn over many years, often through
making mistakes that they wished they could have avoided. Overall they felt
their staff worked hard, but there are never enough staff and the workload is
overwhelming. Security is also a major concern, particularly for staff working
the night shift.
An overall theme is the constant struggle to balance clinical work with
administrative and managerial duties. Among the superintendents interviewed
there is a keen awareness of the need to provide support to their own hospitals.
They make sure they attend ward rounds, the importance of placing ‘people
above paper’ was a common refrain, and they are intent on breaking down
barriers between levels of staff.
The superintendents play a decisive role in setting the culture of the hospital.
While one decided to introduce some stress to wake up his ‘sleepy hospital’,
others were trying to find ways to unravel the tensions. Much of the friction
is around race, but one superintendent said it was important to examine
whether these problems were really about race or whether it was just being
used as an excuse for some other problem.
A few superintendents cited the poor work commitment of staff and high
levels of theft as causes of tension. The need to recognise the diversity of
language emerged as an important factor in setting the culture of the institution
and one strategy is to have circulars and meetings in various languages.
Funerals are also an important aspect for staff and with so many funerals
now taking place, some superintendents only allow staff time off for the
funeral of their immediate family members.
“There is still a lot that a person can do here and I have learned a lot about
relationships with people and absence from work. For instance for one group
of people a funeral is very important but for another group of people it is not. All
the staff don’t see it the same ... we have already said that with regards to close
family we will try to let them go. But you need to go into the matter as with
some people the aunt or uncle is just like a mom or dad.”
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