Forum Discussion

Teamwork seems to be a common problem at a lot of facilities. My suggestion is to befriend the staff (AINs, Kitchen, Cleaners etc), spend time with them and listen to their advice/suggestions. People are loyal to people, not companies or departments. Always ensure you thank staff for helping out when they can: I sing their praises over the pager and at every resident meeting. Any leftover or extra ‘treats’ (sweets, nice coffee, chocolates etc) I leave in the staff room for them to enjoy and let them know it’s from the DT department. Help out the AINs when you can eg mealtimes or supplements. Get the residents to make special ‘staff appreciation’ cards or do a small poster with top 10 reasons we love our AINs. Nurse’s Day has just been and gone – an ideal opportunity to show some appreciation for nursing staff. I have found nursing staff have far more consistent, long-standing and personal, therapeutic relationships with residents than I could ever find time to have with each & every one. Supporting nurses in turn supports that relationship and residents are enriched. 'It takes a village to raise a child' etc. I find that building and maintaining supportive relationships with other staff members brings far more reward, co-operation and understanding than new policies, in-services or orders from management. Good luck!