KGH is celebrating Silver in the latest Quality Healthcare Workplace Awards. The annual awards were handed out at the Ontario Hospital Association’s HealthAchieve conference held in November 2013.
“A silver designation is great news for KGH as it is recognition of the work underway to help us achieve our goal of being one of the best places to work,” says Micki Mulima, Director of Healthy Workplace Services.
The provincial awards, launched in 2010, are run by the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) with sponsorship from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and are designed to help organizations evaluate, learn and improve by focusing on the key drivers of employee and organizational health. All healthcare organizations are invited to apply and four levels are handed out – Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
KGH’s submission this year highlighted our recent focus on supporting staff learning at all levels. A big part of this effort was the addition of 235 courses to our Learning Management System (LMS). These professional development courses are open to all staff and include such topics as communication, project management, and managing stress.
An important new mandatory course was also added to the LMS this year called ‘Together We’re Better’ that teaches intercultural competency to broaden the concept of culture and improve communication.
Each year, the awards also give us a look at what other hospitals are doing, along with feedback and a roadmap for what to focus on next.
“We are now in the midst of assessing and acting on the many things people told us in the Staff and Physician Engagement Surveys we held earlier this year,” says Mulima. “One thing we know is access to education and training, and promoting health and wellness are very important to people at KGH.”
Among the recent changes are the relocation of the Wellness Centre, the addition of a staff wellness website as well, as more initiatives that focus on keeping people healthy, happy and at work.
