Safety cultures

Overview

Safety culture is the part of your organisational culture that focuses on the provision of safe, inclusive and quality care. It includes the way that you:

• look at risks and incident management
• respond when incidents occur
• work together to prevent future incidents
• improve safety for your consumers.

A good safety culture is key to successfully implementing the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) and maintaining continuous improvement in your organisation.

In a safety culture, incidents are managed with a view towards continuous improvement rather than blame. This will help make sure workers feel comfortable to raise concerns with you and report incidents using your IMS. When workers feel comfortable about discussing and reporting safety issues, they are more likely to perform better, learn from mistakes and be accountable.

Your IMS will not be effective if workers are too afraid to use it. As managers, you need to encourage behaviours or actions that promote a ‘blame-free culture’ and have a commitment to learning from incidents and near misses.

Overview

A good safety culture is key to successfully implementing the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) and maintaining continuous improvement in your organisation. Within home care services, you may be unlikely to witness incidents first hand as a manager. However, it is important to make sure your workers understand what they need to do when an incident occurs

In a good safety culture, incidents are managed and seen as opportunities to continually improve rather than blame. A good safety culture will help your workers feel comfortable in raising concerns with you and reporting incidents using your IMS. When staff feel comfortable about discussing and reporting safety issues, they are more likely to perform better, learn from mistakes and be accountable.

Your IMS will not be effective if staff are too afraid to use it. As managers, you need to encourage behaviours or actions that promote a ‘blame-free culture’ and have a commitment to learning from incidents and near misses.  

Roles and responsibilities for safety cultures

Everybody working in an aged care service is responsible for shaping the organisation’s safety culture.

The governing body shapes the safety culture.

Managers and the leadership team drive the safety culture by discouraging behaviours not in line with a good safety culture and ensuring workers are comfortable discussing safety concerns and reporting incidents through the IMS. Managers are responsible for providing authentic leadership and role modelling positive behaviours at work. Your policies and procedures must clearly outline to workers their roles and responsibilities for recording and notifying others of incidents.

Everyone working at your organisation owns the culture and can act in ways that improve safety and quality.

Roles and responsibilities for safety cultures

Everybody working in an aged care service is responsible for shaping the organisation's safety culture.

The governing body shapes the safety culture.

Managers and the leadership team drive the safety culture by discouraging out behaviours not in line with a safety culture and ensuring workers are comfortable discussing safety concerns and reporting incidents through the IMS. Managers are responsible for providing leadership and role modelling positive behaviours at work.

Everybody working at your organisation owns the culture and can act in ways that improve safety and quality.

Roles and responsibilities for safety cultures

Everybody working in an aged care service is responsible for the organisation's safety culture.

The governing body shapes the safety culture.

Managers and the leadership team drive the safety culture by discouraging behaviours not in line with a good safety culture and ensuring workers are comfortable discussing safety concerns and reporting incidents through the IMS. Managers are responsible for providing authentic leadership and role modelling positive behaviours at work. Managers should clearly outline to workers their roles and responsibilities for recording and notifying others of incidents.

With the commencement of SIRS in home care services, your organisation’s safety culture should be applied within consumers’ homes and the community to help deliver safe, quality care and services.

Everyone working at your organisation owns the culture and can act in ways that improve safety and quality.

Workers within home services are a diverse group that includes employees and 'agency' workers, as well as individual contractors. It is your responsibility as a manager to ensure that all workers understand their role in promoting and following your safety culture.

Roles and responsibilities for safety cultures

Everybody working in an aged care service is responsible for the organisation’s safety culture.

The governing body shapes the safety culture.

Managers and the leadership team drive the safety culture by discouraging behaviours not in line with a good safety culture and by ensuring workers are comfortable discussing safety concerns and reporting incidents in the IMS. Managers are responsible for providing authentic leadership and role modelling positive behaviours at work.

Everyone working at your organisation owns the culture and can act in ways that improve safety and quality.

There are many types of workers in home services including employees, ‘agency’ workers and individual contractors.