Staff risk management

Risks

Risks include poor public relations, poor practice experience for patients, rudeness or unhelpful staff.

Strategies

Practitioners and managers must set a good example in their own conduct within the practice.

Have in place a practice code of conduct and/or code of ethics.

Develop a practice culture that embraces excellence in service to all parties – patients, families each other.

Create good staff conditions – facilities, work breaks, flexibility, opportunities for training and development and understanding with time off work etc.

Recruit staff with suitable temperament, skills and attitude.

Provide staff with clear appropriate position descriptions

Provide staff with customer service training.

Risks

Risks include incorrect or inefficient performance of practice procedures, loss of intellectual capital when staff leave, workplace bullying or staff disharmony, theft and fraud, unauthorised internet activity and privacy breaches.

Strategies

Have a staff induction program and conduct ongoing training about your organisation’s key policies and procedures. Ensure that training records are kept of attendance at training.

Have job descriptions, clear position responsibilities and an organisation chart.

Have clearly defined lines of communication

Have clearly defined authorities and limits to authority for all staff.

Ensure there is a policy and procedures manual that is indexed, signed as read and understood by all staff, has amendments dated and is made known to staff. The policy and procedures manual should be reviewed and amended as required.

Ensure that the manual includes a confidential complaint procedure and outlines the consequences of failing to adhere to acceptable standards of staff conduct.

Ensure that staff performance and conduct issues are dealt with in a timely and consistent way.

Hold regular staff meetings.

Have performance appraisals.

Provide positive and constructive feedback to staff. Praise in public, reprimand in private.

Avoid key person dependency by multi-skilling staff.

Have clear systems for checking finances (e.g. control of petty cash, practice banking, external bookkeeper).

Implement IT auditing processes (e.g. to detect unauthorised internet access and to mitigate fraud).

Risks

These include failure of practice staff to prioritise patients accurately

Strategies

Instruct practice staff on the proper management of patients who present with symptoms or complaints that may warrant urgent attention.

Have guidelines in place so that if a staff member is unsure of the urgency of a condition, he or she consults the doctor.

Documented triage policy. A laminated triage flow sheet (e.g. POPGUNS ) visible near the telephone may assist staff in following triaging guidelines.

CPR training for all staff may be appropriate, depending on your location.

If the practice is open, you must ensure that there is appropriate clinical staff on duty to attend to patients if required. If this is not possible, have a policy in place to manage this situation.

Risks

These include performance of patient procedures by employees, employed health practitioners practising without registration or insurance, breach of confidentiality/privacy and unethical behaviour.

Strategies

Ensure that nurses only perform procedures they are trained and competent to perform. Such training should be up to date and ongoing.

Ensure nurses are properly supervised when performing medical procedures.

Have indemnity insurance policies for staff where applicable (seek advice from your Avant portfolio service officer).

Develop a routine pre-employment checklist, including such things as evidence of current registration and right to work in Australia. For particular positions this may require police checks and/or a Working With Children Check.

Confidentiality agreement signed by staff.

Ensure performance appraisals, job descriptions and documented lines of authority.

Ensure that employment contracts include reference to dismissible offences such as breach of patient confidentiality.

Ensure all staff receive regular training in key policies and procedures. Document attendance at the training and maintain those records.

Ensure the practice manager is familiar with employment requirements and employee conditions of employment.

Practice managers and practice nurses may hold their own professional indemnity policies and this should be recorded and you practice insurer notified.

Risks

These include staff injury, staff off work on workers’ compensation and management of return to work, increased workers’ compensation premiums and prosecution.

Strategies

Know the workplace health and safety legislation that applies in your state.

Have workers’ compensation insurance.

Have a nominated workplace safety officer and that person must maintain their knowledge of the requirements of the relevant legislation.

Know the requirements for reporting incidents and claims to your workers’ compensation insurer and the authority responsible for workplace health and safety.

Provide and explain to staff your practice workplace health and safety policy.

Have processes in place for staff to raise safety issues and report injuries.

Assess and minimise safety risks in the practice.

Include Work Health and Safety as an agenda item at all staff meetings.

Subscribe to electronic information update service/s.

Risks

These include employee dissatisfaction, employee disputes and legal action.

Strategies

Be familiar with legislative requirements, including award rates and pay slip information requirements.

Attend industrial relations training courses.

Subscribe to electronic update service/s.

Adopt effective recruitment procedures to try to eliminate the stress and business disruption of dealing with an unsuitable employee.

Use probation periods to assess employee performance and suitability.

Keep records of employment details for tracking leave entitlements.

Have dispute resolution procedures in place.

Seek advice to follow correct procedure for redundancies or terminations.