Waitemata DHB leads the way as a ‘Good Employer’

Waitemata DHB leads the way as a ‘Good Employer’

An analysis of 91 Crown entities across New Zealand has seen Waitemata District Health Board (DHB) ranked equal-first for compliance with ‘Good Employer’ principles.

The review by the Human Rights Commission factored-in performance across a range of benchmarks, such as:

• Safe and healthy environment

• Leadership, accountability and culture

• Recruitment, selection and induction

• Employee development, promotion and exit

• Flexibility and work design

• Harassment and bullying prevention

• Employee recognition and working conditions

Equal Employment Opportunity initiatives Chief Executive Dr Dale Bramley said the top ranking – a 100 percent overall compliance rating - recognised the emphasis the DHB had placed on adopting and living by a set of values developed based on feedback from staff and patients. “This shows that large public sector organisations that are focused and ambitious can achieve internally driven culture change and, in the process, offer a working environment that is just as attractive as the private sector.” “We have always believed that having the right settings where staff are fully supported and encouraged is the best way of attracting and retaining the very best people. “In a large health organisation, this, in turn, influences the quality of care patients receive. There is definitely a link between being a ‘good employer’ and a leader in quality healthcare. “It’s fantastic for the Waitemata team to receive this recognition because progress has not always been easy and this underlines that the direction we have chosen is not only correct but places us at the leading edge of good employment principles nationally.” Waitemata DHB’s commitment to good employer obligations has consistently improved since the Human Rights Commission began reviewing ‘Good Employer’ activity in 2007 but progress has accelerated rapidly since the DHB’s values, transformational care and leadership, healthy workplaces and Maori and Pacific recruitment development programmes were introduced from 2013/14.

The Human Rights Commission analysis follows other recent national successes for Waitemata DHB, including:

• The award for Talent Development and Management at the New Zealand HR Awards for our work in linking the experiences of patients to the growth of our staff and services.

• The Justice Sector Award for Excellence in Integrity and Trust at the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ) Awards for our work in using patient feedback to drive improvements in care.

• Data showing the DHB leads the country in a number of key quality and safety measures for patients, such as assessment of older patients for the risk of falling and development of individualised care plans, plus the lowest hospital mortality rate of all 20 DHBs nationally.

• Auckland Transport’s Match-Maker Award for doubling staff car-pooling numbers in just 12 months, recognising our contribution towards reducing road congestion and CO2 emissions.

ENDS

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