Leadership Skills And Quality Health Care For Older Australians

Abstract

BackgroundWith increasing recognition of the quality and safety issues in residential aged care (RAC), there is an urgent need to better understand the role of leadership teams who are often responsible for addressing these concerns. This qualitative study sought to explore the leadership skills that positively influence quality of care within Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs); and better understand the professional development needs of senior managers to positively influence care within these complex environments. MethodsWe conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with senior managers in 14 RACFs in northern Queensland, Australia. GEN Aged Care Data was reviewed to assist the recruitment of” high performing”, non-government RACFs across different geographical areas of remoteness. Thematic analysis was used, including inductive identification of the leadership skills and strategies employed to promote quality of care. ResultsThe leadership skills reported by senior managers were structured under five domains including: i) communication and relationship management, ii) stewardship, iii) professional development, iv) health care knowledge and v) information technology and finance. A majority of participants highlighted communication and relationship management skills as being influential to RAC quality performance. We found that while most participants recognised the link between leadership skills and quality of care, only managers with a formal health qualification, highlighted the role of health care knowledge as a critical component of their leadership competency.ConclusionsThe skills and strategies employed by leadership and management teams are critical to quality outcomes for organisations and, ultimately, care recipients. With ongoing pressures facing RACFs , more work is needed to identify sector specific professional development (PD) strategies that better prepare RAC senior managers to lead quality health care services within an increasingly complex environment.