CASE STUDY

New working methods create safer and more sustainable elderly care

The client: The client operates elderly care in a medium-sized Swedish municipality. The operations include several units and are conducted in a competitive environment with high demands on quality, efficiency and collaboration between different functions.

The client's challenge: The client is faced with a growing elderly population with increasingly complex needs, which places increased demands on the capacity and quality of elderly care. There are challenges in attracting and retaining competent staff, reducing absenteeism and adapting the business to new demands and expectations. To meet the needs of the future, financial resources need to be freed up through efficiency improvements, and working methods need to be developed with a focus on preventive measures, innovation and collaboration based on the needs of the individual.

Our solution: New working methods needed to be developed and implemented to strengthen employee engagement and create a more sustainable and attractive work environment with a higher degree of trust. The working methods needed to be developed in close collaboration with the business. Efforts have been tested, evaluated and improved step by step through an involving and systematic process. Ekan's role in the work was to lead the project and design the principles for the development work, ensure internal capacity by building an internal project organization and train change agents. In addition, we have developed support material for continued implementation and created a basis for monitoring key figures and impact reporting.

The result: Through coaching change management and support in implementation, we have laid the foundation for:

• Effective teams with a high degree of trust and commitment.
• New working methods that contribute to increased healthy attendance and reduced staff turnover.
• Higher quality for users through a holistic approach and proactive working method.

The project has had a strong focus on reflection and learning to ensure long-term sustainability and continuous improvements.

Throughout the project, including the pilot, the stories from the employees have been one of the strongest drivers to continue and implement the working method. The employees have told of increased job satisfaction, less stress and how this left an impression in the meeting with the users who in turn became calmer, happier and increased their abilities.

Employees on the differences between the new and old way of working:

"The new way of working is about getting to know the users better and making them feel safer and calmer. This is a big difference compared to before."

 

“The coordination sessions allow us to distribute the load better in the group. It is easier to help each other. No one is alone”

 

"We don't talk about the schedule. Instead, we talk about the users and what they need. The users get to have more of a say in how the help is designed."

 

“We have better control – we can plan and adjust without having to contact management”

 

"Now we can document and inform so that everyone can see, we can re-plan and adjust the structure of the day ourselves. It's great!"

The employees about the difference for users:

“They feel safer, happier and more satisfied”

 

“It means a lot to be able to better meet the needs of users”

 

“We can strengthen what is healthy”

 

“Users are more motivated to do things themselves”