AZ Groeninge implements new care model from a holistic approach

With a new vision for care organisation, care culture and leadership, AZ Groeninge strives for a satisfied nursing staff and better care. Petra Archie, Director Patient Care Services AZ Groeninge in Kortrijk, a merged hospital with more than 1000 beds, expands on the transition to a new care model.

Ms Petra Archie, Director Patient Care Services AZ Groeninge in Kortrijk

© AZ Groeninge

What were the reasons for transitioning to a new care model? Following the audit for renewing the certificate “Investors in People”, the inspection by the Care Inspectorate and an accreditation programme on the ‘Joint Commission International’ (JCI) for healthcare quality and patient safety, AZ Groeninge strongly insisted on processes and standardisation. The management was convinced that this would free up opportunities to provide high quality care. This message needed to be understood by all our employees. This gave rise to the elaboration of a pathway to a new care model with the focus on a holistic approach.

What are the pillars around which the new care model is built? We opt for a nursing model that focuses on the patient as an individual and on the responsibility of the nurse for that patient. As an organisation, we aim for efficiency and quality which we try to quantify. Clearly, the way in which the patient experiences the care remains important, as does the satisfaction of the nursing staff about their care relationship with the patient. To tackle this contradiction, AZ Groeninge developed a new policy around three pillars: healthcare organisation, healthcare culture and leadership.

What are the main points of the new healthcare organisation? Integral nursing is the basis for our care model. It is clear at all times which nurse is responsible for which patient. The one-toone relationship is linked to task rationalisation: care support at every department and on every day of the year, administrative support, internal transport and pneumatic transport system are just a few examples. In addition, we focus on support to enable professional care, for example, with the electronic patient record.

What is the importance of a care culture? Care providers often feel they no longer have enough time to establish a care relationship with the patient. From the organisation, we look for ways of supporting the care culture and care ethics of employees. By bringing care ethics into the open, you indicate that there is room within the organisation for this particular aspect of care. How does AZ Groeninge view leadership? Leadership is crucial in managing change projects within an organisation and in getting all employees on-board. In our vision, leadership is aimed at growing and letting go, rather than checking and controlling. The focus is on respect and trust so that employees can take up individual responsibility in the context of ‘professional leadership’.

How does the care model translate into practice? For each department, all processes and the interaction of all parties involved are outlined in detail. Together with the team, we then analyse the possibilities in terms of task reallocation and task differentiation. The result is a clear picture of what an optimal team looks like and what the role of the head nurse is.

Hospitals are faced with shorter patient stays. How does AZ Groeninge anticipate to this? Good transmural collaboration is becoming increasingly important. Together with external home care partners, we start up projects wherever possible so that we can collaborate complementary. Through the evolution towards network building – we are part of the E17 Hospital Network – we strive to bundle our expertise and knowledge with seven hospitals.

What are the main future challenges for AZ Groeninge? We are facing a variety of challenges. One such challenge is how to fill in the budget with sufficient and competent employees, and how do we retain employees? Furthermore, the role of the nurse and the patient is changing, the focus being now more on education and empowerment. This calls for a different focus in health provision.