A Successful Business Depends...

A successful business depends on the skills and market knowledge of its management team. It is important to have the right managers in place to drive the services. The management team needs strong project management and customer-focused skills to oversee all aspects of the service including sales and marketing, procurement, operational issues, finance and personal matters. To be successful management team needs to understand the importance of customer service. They also need to understand the requirements of businesses in the area and how services could be delivered. In a larger business, there should also have team leaders who are responsible for managing smaller groups of people and overseeing team budgets. It is important to develop their skills and understand the problems they face to make sure business runs smoothly. (Businesslink.gov.uk, 2011)

In the Care Home total quality management application is essential not just assuring service quality but it is also a way of managing people and business processes to ensure complete customer satisfaction, internally and externally. It also combined with effective leadership and management which results in an organisation doing the right things right, first time. (businessballs.com, 2009)

Management and leadership style have an important impact on quality improvement initiatives. Culture change may be required to facilitate improvement, especially if staff, Service Users and family members have different interpretations of care. Culture change must begin with owners and managers building new relationships with all stakeholders. (jrf.org.uk, 2008).

All senior managers must demonstrate their seriousness and commitment to quality, middle managers must also demonstrate their commitment to ensure they communicate the principles, strategies and benefits to the people for whom they have responsibilities towards. (businessballs.com, 2009).

To manage quality improvement Quality Assurance employed to ensure that successes are achieved in a given setting. Within adult social care, this means ensuring that the Essential Standards in Quality and Safety are being given importance and are informing all of the activities carried by the relevant care business. It is a pertinent way in which to gauge the level of quality being offered to Service Users. Consequently, high level policies and procedures need to be in place and implemented to ensure excellent levels of Quality Assurance.

This assignment will discuss the effectiveness of the organisation and my own ability to manage and improve quality to meet customer requirements. It also tackled about development and implementation of improvement plans to meet or exceed customer requirements.

UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ORGANISATION AND OWN ABILITY TO MANAGE AND IMPROVE QUALITY TO MEET CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS.

In every organisation to be really effective, quality must span all functions, all people, all departments and all activities and be a common language for improvement. The cooperation of everyone is important to achieve a total quality organisation. The quality chains should not be broken because if any point one person or one piece of equipment not meeting the requirements of the customer, internal and external, failure exists. Failure to meet the requirements in any part of the chain creates problems elsewhere so to achieve quality throughout the organisation, every person in the quality chain must be trained and fully aware of customers’ needs and expectation and must respect the needs and expectation of their suppliers. (businessball.com, 2009).

Quality Management System in the Care Home is designed and implemented to meet the quality objectives to achieve ongoing satisfaction of Service Users and to meet the mandatory requirements of the relevant external authorities associated with the provision of care for Service Users. Leading and operating an organisation successfully, it is necessary to direct and control the company in a systematic and transparent manner. Success can result from implementing and maintaining a management system that is designed to continually improve performance while addressing the needs of all interested parties. (Southern Cross Healthcare Quality Manual, 2006).

Critically assess the organisation’s effectiveness in managing quality to meet or exceed customer requirements.

Alexander Court Care Centre aim is to provide the highest quality care for Service Users to enable them to have as much choice and independence as they capable of. It is their objectives to constantly strive to improve all aspects of customer service, to ensure the financial viability and efficiency of the business providing security for Service Users and Staff, to invest in development of Staff skills so that services provided to Service Users can improve and to work closely with contractors and suppliers to ensure quality service at an efficient cost.

The responsibilities, authority and the interrelation of all personnel who manage, perform and verify work affecting quality are defined and communicated in order to facilitate effective quality management. All people have given authorities and responsibilities to enable them to assist in the achievement of the quality objectives.

The Operations Director is responsible for identifying and providing all the necessary resources to meet the requirements of the quality system and the organisations customers. These resources include trained personnel for the management and the performance of work, including system audits and verification activities.

Regular meetings are held either individually or collectively to brief staff on performance, customer requirements, any recurring problems and obtaining feedback as necessary. Will hold an annual review of all staff and arrange for the preparation of any training plans and implementation. He will chair the management review meeting.

He is responsible for ensuring the organisations performance can be adequately measured to meet the requirements of its customers and has nominated a Quality Representative with the authority and responsibility for ensuring that the requirements of the latest issue of ISO 9001:2000 are implemented and maintained by internal quality audits.

The Quality Representative is responsible for monitoring the system and in particular for advising and training other personnel in the system, continually looking for improvements. Ensuring that internal quality audits are carried out as detailed on the schedule, and that all corrective and preventive actions arising from audits are close out, reporting to the management review on the performance, including needs for improvement and the awareness of customer needs and requirements throughout the organisation.

Managing Director and top management have defined and implemented processes for the communication of quality requirements, objectives and accomplishments. The providing of this information becomes a resource for improvement and the involvement of people in achieving quality objectives including one to one, and team briefings, in house memos, information on notice boards, audio visual and electronic media as necessary.

The management review the input and output process analysing current activities that may require change and consider opportunities for the improvement, including quality policy and quality objectives.

In addition, all feedback received whether positive or negative is used as a learning and use to formulate changes in policies, procedures and processes. Regular Service User and relatives meeting and invitations to people to complete Satisfaction Survey to enable comments and provide opportunity to give open and honest feedback on the service provided.

The Care Centre is registered and inspected by Care Quality Commission to ensure they complied with the guidelines and standards of the Health and Social Care Act and Care Standards Act. The Home Manager completes an action plan to address any areas of weakness, this way to ensure there is a process of continual improvement.

Evaluate own ability to manage quality to meet or exceed customer requirements.

In managing quality to meet customer requirements, it start with staffing factors such as turnover, staffing levels, worker stability, training and the way care is organised, it may determine staff effectiveness. Staff communication from top management as well as the need to gain support from them is important to enable staff to provide feedback.

As an aspiring manager, I have to train and educate my staff to promote and establish a quality service. This includes: quality assurance, documentation, quality audits, total quality management, process management, statistics and all the methodologies for solving problems. It may be a long process so it is a good idea to firstly train qualified staff and trainers who will in turn train the rest of the staff. Training programme or continuous personnel development is important to ensure all staff have the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies to undertake appropriate activities in their particular area of responsibility as well as their performance quality improve.

As a healthcare worker customer care is important, like for instance to our Service User and their family, we should value them by providing friendly assistance and creating comfortable atmosphere. We ensure we deal with their inquiries, create a good first impression so that they have confidence on you because I believe the saying that “first impression last”. Our behaviour and the way we communicate to them affects their impression so we have to act professionally. Because we are the person the Service Users sees all day so we have to comfort, care and always consider their safety. We also not forget the core values such as providing service user privacy and dignity by informing them any procedure that going to do, never expose them unnecessarily, knocking on doors and closing it, second respect by considering their thought and feelings, third their choice should always be offered and lastly fulfilment by asking them are they happy with the service received. By doing all these simple things, it can build a positive working relationship and quality assurance with the Service Users and their family.

2. BE ABLE TO PLAN AND IMPLEMENT PROJECTS TO MEET, AND IF POSSIBLE, EXCEED CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS

In the organisation quality improvement plan is important to meet the quality objectives of the company to achieve satisfaction of the Service Users and to meet the mandatory requirements of the relevant external authorities associated with the provision of care for Service Users. It is designed for the organisation to have direction and reflect on their accomplishment.

The Quality Improvement Plan is a document about how the organisation will manage, deploy, and review the quality of care. It describes the overall management approach to quality and what is to be accomplished like mission and vision that staff can relate to in their daily work. It identifies the key terms so that staff has the same vocabulary to avoid misconceptions and unclear messages. It also describes how the quality program will be managed and monitored and includes the process for selecting quality improvement projects and relevant team leaders. The improvement plan also can indicate the types of training and support that will be available to the organisation as a whole.

This Quality Improvement plan identifies the quality process, quality tools and techniques to be utilised throughout the organisation and how planned QI activities and processes are updated to the management and staff on regular basis to keep them informed as to what progress is being achieved. It also describes any quality roles and responsibilities that will exist and how measurement and analysis will be utilised and how it will help define future quality improvement activities. The Improvement plan will help to evaluate activities that will be utilised to determine the effectiveness of quality of care.

2.1 Develop an improvement plan that is designed to meet and, if possible, exceed customer requirements.

Quality Improvement Plan is directed towards the organisation to assist in the delivery of quality care and success of developing skilled and educated workforce. Therefore, the organisation will continue to provide opportunities for staff to develop their careers through training and further study in order to provide highest quality service. This development ensures that all staff has the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies to undertake appropriate activities in their particular area of responsibility. It also directed to the Service Users and Relatives to ensure that they receive quality care and maintain their dignity, privacy, independence and respect.

Alexander Court Care Centre acknowledges that to lead and operate an organisation successfully, it is necessary to direct and control in a systematic and transparent manner. Success can result from implementing and maintaining a management system that is designed to continually improve performance while addressing the needs of all interested parties. (Quality Manual, 2006)

Alexander Court includes the eight quality management principles noted below and top management uses these principles in order to lead the organisation towards improved performance.

Customer Focus

Organisations depend on their customers and therefore should understand current and future customer needs, should meet customer requirements and strive to exceed customer expectations.

Leadership

Leaders establish unity of purpose and direction of the organisation. They should create and maintain the internal environment in which people can become fully involved in achieving the organisation’s objectives.

Involvement of People

People at all levels are the essence of the organisation and their fully involvement enables their abilities to be used for the organisation’s benefit.

Process approach

A desired result is achieved more efficiently when activities and related resources are managed as a process.

System approach to management

Identify, understand and manage interrelated processes as a system contributes to the organisation’s effectiveness and efficiency in achieving its objectives.

Continual improvement

Continual improvement of the organisation’s overall performance is a permanent objective of the organisation.

Factual approach to decision making

Effective decisions are based on the analysis of data and information.

Mutually beneficial supplier relationship

An organisation and its supplier are interdependent and a mutually beneficial relationship enhances the ability of both to create value.

An efficient and effective way to tackle process or quality improvement is through teamwork. However, people will not engage in improvement activities without commitment and recognition from organisation’s leaders, a climate for improvement and strategy to implement effectively.(businessballs.com, 2009). There are some factors to be considered by the organisation after philosophy and mission have been established. First is chain of command which specifies the authority, responsibility and communication relationships between leaders and staff from top to bottom in the organisation by delegating authority responsible for programmes, staffing, and budget.(adekass.blogspot.com, 2008). Staffing such as human resource planning and recruitment should also consider so that finding the right people for the right jobs. The process of staff selection involves evaluating candidates through interviews and choosing the best candidate for the specific job.(fao.org, 2012). Then staff orientation to the particular unit, colleagues and to the organisation. Staff should be aware of the mission and objectives of the organisation, the nature of responsibilities, the degree of accountability, and the systems and procedures followed to accomplish the tasks associated with the job.

2.2 Implement improvement plans designed to meet or exceed customer requirements.

To meet customer requirements the suppliers must aware of customers’ needs and expectations, each person must respect also the needs and expectations of their suppliers. This situation is an open partnership style relationship, were both parties share and benefit.

To be able to become a total quality organisation, some of the bad practices must be recognised and corrected. These may include: leaders not giving clear direction or inadequate supervision procedures, Staff behaviour such as fire fighting or reactive behaviour and the “it’s not my problem” attitude.(businessball.com, 2009) Good management involves regular procedures for overseeing and reviewing work, discussing difficulties and clarifying how to proceed. (akdn.org, 06/2004). So management must implement improvement plans to the staff members. The primary goal with the plan is improving quality performance by improving individual staff performance and ensuring them attains their own level of improvement. The key to improving staff performance is setting goals and this set of goals keep them motivated by constructively teaching them how to improve on specific areas they are struggle with. For example, time management because staff tardiness is one of the problems in the organisation apart from laziness and lack of skills. Managers also use formal documentation like supervision, appraisal forms and staff satisfaction survey which can help explain performance needs improvement.

As an aspiring manager I have to develop improvement plan to the Staff whose performance requires improvement which I identified at the table, with specified action plan, timeframe and the support and resources to assist the staff. (See Appendix I). This performance improvement plan will help to meet the customer requirements in the organisation.

CONCLUSION

Managing improvement in the organisation is important to be able to satisfied customers and good business result. Good leader brings out the best in their people in a way that makes workplace productive. Teamwork within the organisation is the key to success of every business. Successful organisation involved 100 percent of their minds and passion in identifying problems and resolving them. They seek to improve performance in every area of their work by understanding customer requirements and improving performance to meet customer needs more effectively, improving communications between departments by breaking down internal barriers, getting staff involved by improving performance and working in teams to improve morale and support the development of individuals. Managers encourage open discussion to improve performance, and about the identification and implementation of solutions to problems.