Technical expert report to maximise work-life balance, team wellbeing and to promote staff retention through the definition of work patterns
Definition of work patterns for nursing staff to optimise healthcare coverage and increase staff loyalty
Initial situation
Hospital Clínic Barcelona is a hospital founded in 1906 with more than a century of history in the city of Barcelona. It is part of the Public Hospital Network of Catalonia (XHUP) and has been included, for ten consecutive years, in the national Top20, being the highest-rated Spanish hospital in the Newsweek-Statista ranking.
The hospital has a relatively stable coverage requirement, however, the drastic reduction in nursing professionals in the national labour market in recent years made it necessary to review existing work patterns in order to balance operations and guarantee the wellbeing of the nursing staff, improving work-life balance (by reducing the number of weekends to be worked) while ensuring efficient healthcare coverage at all times.
For this reason, the hospital commissioned Itemsa to carry out a technical study to define the most appropriate work patterns for nursing staff.
General intervention plan
The first phase consisted of analysing and objectively assessing the current situation of Hospital Clínic Barcelona in terms of operational needs and essential factors such as, minimum daily staffing levels, the need for non-permanent professionals, working hours, overlaps between shifts, rest periods, annual working days, etc.
This initial assessment enabled Itemsa to design different calendar proposals aimed at increasing staff retention, achieving more efficient operations and optimising the management of the centre’s human resources.
Actions
- Technical visit to Hospital Clínic Barcelona to analyse the operation of the nursing service and collect operational data, together with meetings with nursing staff managers, shift coordination teams and human resources in order to understand functions, workloads and service constraints.
- Documentary analysis of staffing levels, current shifts, rest regulations and minimum workload requirements at Hospital Clínic Barcelona.
- Design of 7 shift-calendar versions resulting in 12 specific work-pattern proposals with different combinations depending on the number of weekends worked per professional, the possibility of doubling weekend shifts, the regularity of sequences, guaranteed minimum daily staffing, the need for non-permanent professionals, compliance with minimum rest periods, overlaps between shifts, impact on night shifts, days with surplus staff, annual working days per professional, etc.
- Evaluation and prioritisation of each version according to its impact on key operational criteria.
- Proposal of the most suitable alternatives to retain nursing staff without compromising healthcare coverage, and identification of alternatives to be avoided due to their negative impact on wellbeing (greater instability) or efficiency (greater need for non-permanent staff).
Objectives
- To increase nursing staff retention through work patterns that promote work-life balance, greater predictability, lower unwanted turnover and fewer weekends worked.
- To guarantee daily healthcare coverage with the lowest possible dependence on non-permanent professionals.
- To maintain and ensure appropriate and regulated rest periods for nursing staff.
- To facilitate the operational management of shifts, training, replacements and surplus staffing.
- To guarantee coverage of healthcare needs and maintain and improve the quality of care.
Results
The technical study carried out by Itemsa enables Hospital Clínic Barcelona to have a complete map of alternative work patterns for nursing staff, technically and operationally assessed, facilitating decision-making in the implementation of the shift calendar. These proposals provide the centre with alternatives that maximise work-life balance and team wellbeing in order to promote professional retention while, at the same time, ensuring healthcare coverage with reduced dependence on non-permanent staff.
