Working with the attendants

Towards the end of last year I mentioned in one of my updates that the attendants had expressed concern about how badly they were treated by some staff and how they felt powerless to address this.

This saddened me as whatever your job is in this DHB you should be treated with respect, so this year I have decided to spend time in some services doing a shift to see what work life is like on the shop floor. It also gives me a different insight into the way the organisation works - you are a bit more anonymous walking around in a blue shirt than you are in a suit!

Last week I spent a shift as an attendant and I’d firstly like to thank Nigel who looked after me as a novice and showed me the ropes. There are 113 attendants in Waikato Hospital who work around the clock to provide core support services to the rest of the hospital. They do a great job. They are passionate about what they do and those I spoke to love their job. They really engage well with our patients and provide comfort and reassurance for them and their whānau.

Our attendants are a well organised group, focused on helping hospital staff, patients and visitors and their tasks can range from taking a letter from one side of the hospital to the other, to helping unload seriously injured patients from the helicopter, delivering medical equipment to services, transporting deceased to the mortuary, helping to turn patients after surgery with all sorts of surgical equipment connected to them, or wheeling discharged patients to the carpark.

There are also many attendants working behind the scenes who collect the rubbish, linen and medical waste, stock shelves, pick up and deliver mail, make sure clinical records turn up on time, attendants in ICU, Endo and the Transit Lounge, and shuttle drivers. There is a very long list.

I enjoyed the shift and it was good just seeing the integral role they have in running the hospital. The experience gave me insights into how we could improve flow in the hospital and also how we could use technology to improve the way attendants were deployed.

It is also a timely reminder for those who haven’t attended a Speaking Up for Safety training session to please go online and book one. I want to make it clear that this is a very important programme and will only work well if the Speaking Up for Safety C.O.D.E. and process is understood by everyone.

My next shift will be working with the security team.

CE Dr Kevin Snee with attendants, including Nigel (back right)